In an effort to recoup some of the $40 million in uncollected fines, the Lycoming County Commissioners added a position which had been deleted from the Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) in the Prothonotary’s Office specifically to address that issue.

The action was taken by the Salary Board, which is composed of commissioners Scott Metzger, Marc Sortman and Mark Mussina, along with acting Controller Nikki Gottschall.

The criminal processing clerk position was returned to the TDA, with Sortman adding the stipulation that “if we don’t see a return on this investment-this $40 million-we evaluate this position again at the end of next year.”

This action by the salary board is just one of several that were approved as the commissioners continue to address staffing at the county in an effort to tame the budget deficit.

Last month Commissioner Scott Metzger had shared that the county has approximately 550 full-time employees compared to 20 years ago when that number was at 375. Throughout the time leading up to when the budget was introduced two weeks ago, the commissioners had been deleting positions from the TDA. The reasoning behind that was that as long as the positions-all of which the commissioners said were unfilled-were listed then that number was used in calculating benefits.

Another position which had been deleted in the Military Affairs department was not added back after two members of the Salary Board voted against doing that.

In explaining his vote in favor, Metzger said, “We want to make sure that all our veterans are serviced and there’s not a waiting list…where they get help. It’s critical that we take care of our veterans.”

Mussina, who also voted in favor of adding the position back to the TDA, said, “If there’s any place that we should all chip in, it is to support our veterans.”

“It’s one thing to say thank you for your service, but when we have an opportunity to actually do something to thank them, we need to do that,” Mussina added.

Metzger noted that the Veterans Affairs office works with 9,000 veterans with a small staff. Sortman, on the other hand, said, “I may be the lone guy out on this one.”

“My concern is that we’ve asked other departments within the county to reduce staff, so I’ve given this a lot of thought. I agree wholeheartedly with what you guys have said about supporting veterans…but I’m concerned about what we’ve done as a county reducing staff,” Sortman said.

ate this again in six months if the position needs to be there, especially since it’s been taken out of the budget,” he added.

Sortman then voted nHis concerns were that the commissioners had asked other departments to reduce staff and that some had their staffs cut by five or six people.

“(I’m) not so sure that we’re jumping the gun,” he said of the action to reinstate the Veterans’ Affairs position.

“Maybe we should evaluo along with Gottschall and the item failed.

The Salary Board also tabled adding an assistant public defender position because it was not budgeted.

Other actions by the Salary Board included: in Adult Probation, removing an Adult Probation Officer, pay grade 9, from the TDA and adding an Administrative Case Officer position, pay grade 7; in the Department of Public Service/ Emergency Management Services, adding a Regional Field Coordinator, which had been removed in error, removing an administrative specialist position, pay grade 6 with allowed overtime and adding an administrative coordinator position, pay grade 6, with no overtime;and remove the deputy director of Facilities Management, pay grade 12, from the TDA.

Gottschall also voted no to adding a paralegal position, pay grade 7, as the result of an administrative assistant paralegal in training, pay grade 6, completing training. The item was approved.

Also approved was the new county 911 Call Center wage scale as follows: Telecommunicator III, pay grade 10, $25; Telecommunicator II, pay grade 9, $23; Telecommunicator II, pay grade 8, $21.50; and Telecommunicator Trainee, pay grade 7, $20.

A $1,000 recruiting bonus applies, payable in installments according to the following training progressions: $500 at the completion of call taker training and promotion to Telecommunicator I; $250 at the completion of all police call training; and $250 at the completion of Fire EMS training promotion to Telecommunicator II.

The commissioners approved a request by the West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission for a grant application for the PA Commission on Crime & Delinquency Intermediate Punishment Treatment Program with the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency for $380,000.

Other items approved included: an amendment to an agreement with Parmchem Inc. for substance abuse testing in APO; the Memorandum of Understanding with the Lycoming County Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities for seriously mentally ill individuals; an agreement wit Restorative Behavioral Health extending the term for an additional year and increasing the hourly rate to $220; the Patrick Leahy Bullet Proof Vest partnership grant application with the Department of Justice for $25,000 to bullet proof vests for the Sheriff’s Department; an amendment to the agreement with DSC Solutions for janitorial services extending it one month while the contract is bid out; an amendment to the agreement with ALS Global for testing as needed; and an agreement with R&J Ertel, Inc. in the amount of $5,963 for work done at the Court House.

Several software renewal agreements were approved. They are: Thomas Reuters, $2,596 for the coroner; Civil Court for the Prothonotary’s Office for $26,645, Act 13 funds; Orphan’s Row software with Telesoft for $16,806, Act 13 funds; Court Administration software with Telesoft, $14,762, Act 13 funds; and Sheriff software with Telesoft for $24,762, Act 13 funds.

An agreement with Vertiv in the amount of $6,980 for battery back-up for servers and the purchase of ePlus in the amount of $15,951 for the main phone system, including the Coroner’s Office and to begin the process for Third Street Plaza system were approved.

The following people were named to commissions and boards: Planning Commission-Jason Bogle and Denise Reise, Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2029; Agricultural Land Board-Dean Bussler and Dan Dorman, Jan. 20, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2028; Housing Authority Board-Ken Young and Rick Armstead, Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2030; and Conservation District Board-Brett Taylor, farmer director, and Thomas Murphy, public director, Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2029, and Scott Metzger, commissioner director, Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026.

Under personnel, the board approved the following items: Riley Riggle, full-time administrative case officer in Adult Probation, $21.15 per hour; Cody Englehart, full-time paralegal in the Public Defender’s office, $18,951 per hour; and Jessica Ivankina, full-time telecommunicator II, $23 per hour.

The next commissioners’ meeting will be at 10 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room, 3rd floor Third Street Plaza, 33 W. Third St.