Officials: Treasurer's office not behind

Treasurer Gary Felasco did not attend a meeting about the office's workload.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County commissioners have concluded that county Treasurer Gary Felasco's recent request for more help in his office was apparently much ado about nothing.
Commissioners, at their weekly meeting Tuesday, said work in the treasurer's office is not as backlogged as Felasco initially led county officials to believe.
And, after reviewing results of a recent survey of the treasurer's office conducted by county Solicitor John Hodge, commissioners have agreed the issue is dead.
"There really isn't as much work there to do as we thought," said Commissioner Steve Craig. "In fact, it seems the employees in that office don't need anymore help because the job's getting done. And apparently, they don't even need a treasurer every day either because they seem to be getting the job done without him."
Felasco attended a recent commissioners' caucus to ask the county to create two part-time positions in his office so he could hire more help.
Special meeting
The county salary board called a meeting last Thursday to consider the request -- and to possibly vote on whether to hire one temporary part-time clerk to fill in while a member of Felasco's staff is on sick leave.
But Felasco was a no-show at that meeting. His request died because a motion was never made to consider the issue.
Since then, county officials have said they are more than a little miffed at Felasco for missing a meeting held at his request.
Commissioners, along with the county controller, serve on the salary board. As the row officer making the request, Felasco also would have had a vote.
The salary board asked county Solicitor John Hodge to look into what could be done to ensure work in the treasurer's office is being completed. Specifically, commissioners said they were concerned that there might be several boxes of tax payments in the treasurer's office that had not been recorded or deposited into the county's checking account.
Last week, Hodge asked Felasco for access to the office so he could survey the reported backlog of work.
But Felasco told Hodge he would not allow him go into the treasurer's office unless Hodge submitted a written request, as required by the state's Right to Know Law. Hodge obliged.
"But when [Hodge] went in, he found the employees really weren't all that behind in their work and actually have been doing a good job of getting things done," Craig said. "In fact, they're farther along now than they were last year at this time. And this is a time of year you would expect them to backed up anyway."
Hodge advised county officials that hiring additional staff for the treasurer's office is not necessary.
Problems with Felasco
The issue marks one more episode in a year-long saga centered around the county treasurer.
Commissioners removed Felasco from the tax claim director's seat, an appointed position, last year after, among other allegations, it was discovered he had not paid his own county taxes in the four years he was tax claim director.
But by law, they cannot remove him from the treasurer's position because it is an elected office.
County residents continue asking for Felasco's removal from office, but have been told that decision must be made by voters at the election polls. Felasco has two years remaining in his term.
Residents also have requested that Felasco, whose presence at the treasurer's office has been sporadic, be ordered back to work. Commissioners acknowledge Felasco is seldom in his office, but maintain they have no authority to force him to go to work.