Friday is the last day for Luzerne County residents who want to join the county’s Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement.
You have to send your resumes and cover letters by 4:30 p.m. on April 26 to council clerk Sharon Lawrence at the courthouse, 200 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre, 18701, or by email at [email protected].
Applicants will be interviewed publicly by council’s Authorities, Boards and Commissions Committee the following week, at 6 p.m. on April 30 in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.
The opioid advisory body needs to figure out the best ways to use $25 million that the county will get over 18 years from the state’s settlement against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors. The council will make the final decisions on how the money is used.
The panel also includes council Chairman John Lombardo, county District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, county Drug and Alcohol Administrator Ryan Hogan, county Human Services Division Head Lynn Hill, county Correctional Services Division Head James Wilbur and county Manager Romilda Crocamo.
You can find more information about the citizen seat on the council’s section at luzernecounty.org. luzernecounty.org.
Board openings
They also need citizens to apply for a seat on the five-citizen county Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system along the Susquehanna River.
There are currently no citizens eligible for a seat on the authority.
The flood authority board sadly accepted board member Gordon Dussinger’s resignation last week. Dussinger’s term was supposed to go until the end of 2025.
A Republican citizen appointee is also needed for the county ethics commission to fill a vacancy.
A list of all board openings and applications can be found on council’s authorities/boards/commissions section at luzernecounty.org. luzernecounty.org.
Pension fund
The county’s employee pension fund ended the first quarter with a balance of $308.67 million, according to fund advisor Richard Hazzouri, of Morgan Stanley.
This means a return of 4.12% and $12.3 million in investment earnings for the first quarter.
According to Hazzouri, the return rate will probably increase once outstanding alternative investments are priced, since about 30% of the portfolio, or $93.5 million, is in alternative investments.
The goal with the county’s public fund is to maximize returns without taking on too much risk, while ensuring there’s enough cash available to cover ongoing pensions, Hazzouri said.
In the first quarter, $6.3 million in payments were made to retirees.
An annual county subsidy is needed to close a past gap that emerged between fund assets and liabilities.
Tax sale
Elite Revenue Solutions, the county’s tax-claim operator, will hold a special first-stage “upset” delinquent tax auction Thursday for properties with defaulted repayment plans.
Elite strictly follows state law governing repayment plans. Property owners must pay 25% down and the rest in set installments, and plans are considered in default if two installments are not paid.
To handle such defaults more quickly, Elite conducts a special auction in the spring.
According to the law, individuals who fail to follow a repayment plan cannot get a new one through the tax claim bureau for three years, but some may be able to negotiate new repayment agreements through the court.
As of Friday, about 40 properties were still listed for the special April 25 auction, but some may be removed due to ongoing court actions.
The deadline to register to bid has already passed. Auction bidders now need to register earlier because of a 2021 state law that gives municipalities more time to investigate potential buyers based on expanded bidder reporting requirements.