Lawrence Co. plans wage cut on nonunion workers

By Mary Grzebieniak

Officials are also looking into having a private company run the county jail.

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Lawrence County officials have set a special meeting to impose a 3 percent wage cut for the rest of 2009 on nonunion employees in essential services.

The Lawrence County Salary Board will meet at 9:30 a.m. Thursday just before the regular caucus meeting to impose a 3 percent rollback on the wages of Emergency Management and 911 employees, jail administrators and coroner’s deputies, a total of 51 full- and part-time employees. By law, salary adjustments must be made by the salary board, which consists of the county commissioners and county controller. Department heads also are able to vote on actions directly affecting their employees.

In addition, Commissioner Steve Craig said the county will ask Construction and General Laborers Union Local 964, which represents the jail corrections officers, to vote again on the 3 percent rollback for the rest of 2009 and to forgo the 3 percent wage increase included in their contract for 2010. The union voted against the 2009 rollback last week but reportedly is willing to take another vote.

Craig said that even with the cutbacks, there is no guarantee layoffs will not be required.

A furlough has already been imposed on the rest of the county employees who will be off without pay the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In related news, commissioners said the Lawrence County Prison Board is looking into hiring a private management company to run the Lawrence County Jail or to farm inmates out to other jails to save the county money. The jail uses about 25 percent of the county general-fund budget, and the prison board is trying to determine whether one of the other options would be cheaper.

And earlier this week, commissioners asked Lawrence County Treasurer Richard Rapone to send out late notices on county property taxes one month early.

Rapone agreed and told commissioners Tuesday that he will send out notices by the end of October on $2.9 million in taxes still unpaid for 2009.

Last year, the notices were not sent out until Nov. 26 for some $2.6 million in outstanding taxes and resulted in late payments of $1 million by the end of 2008. Commissioners are hoping that the early notice will increase the amount of late tax payments this year.

Lawrence County Controller David Gettings said the county currently has $1.25 million in the general fund. Payroll runs $1.2 million per month, and there are three months left in 2009.

Commissioners are looking for ways to cut costs before the end of the year because of a possible county budget shortfall due to the state budget impasse. The 2010 state budget cuts to the county are expected to be severe once it is passed, so commissioners also are looking ahead to cuts they can make next year.