Funding vote for two Luzerne County bridges delayed

A proposal to allocate $3.1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act interest in Luzerne County to repair two county bridges was removed from the council’s voting agenda this week.

County Councilman Jimmy Sabatino, who sought the apportionment, asked his colleagues to postpone the vote at the administration’s request.

When Councilwoman LeeAnn McDermott asked for more clarification, Sabatino responded that the administration needs more time to establish a proposed 2025 budget before they are required to pay interest.

Sabatino’s proposed package also included a vote to allocate all of the American Rescue interest left over from financing the bridges to this purpose, to avoid a county tax increase in 2025.

The county currently has about $4.5 million in interest income, which means at least $1.4 million will be left in next year’s budget.

The proposed budget for 2025 is scheduled to be presented at the council meeting on October 8.

County Executive Romilda Crocamo said she will not request a property tax increase for 2025 and advised managers to freeze spending requests.

Sabatino said he will ask the City Council to vote on the American Rescue interest package at its Oct. 8 meeting.

“I still think the bridges are worthwhile projects, but the collaboration we’ve built between council and the administration has motivated me to spend a bit more time on them,” he said.

A majority of council members agreed to hold off on making a decision.

Construction of the stone arch Harris Hill Road Bridge and the steel Sleepy Hollow Bridge was recommended because their closure had a negative impact on traffic management in those areas.

The Sleepy Hollow Bridge has been placed on the state’s Transportation Improvement Plan for future funding, meaning construction will have to wait until 2027 unless other funding is found.

Legal settlement

A majority of the council voted Tuesday to approve a settlement in the ongoing lawsuit with Lawrence Kansky.

According to the agenda, Kansky filed a complaint against the county in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, alleging that his firearms license was wrongfully revoked and/or wrongfully not reinstated, a violation of his constitutional rights.

The county sheriff’s office revoked Kansky’s license after he was arrested for the crime and did not reinstate it after the criminal charges against him were ultimately dismissed, the agenda said.

The settlement is for $15,000 plus fees related to reinstatement of the permit, it said. Kansky can apply for a permit, which will be issued only after state approval, it said.

Scholarship Award

The budget amendment was on Tuesday’s agenda because the county received a Project LAUNCH grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the amount of $800,000 per year for five years, for a total of $4 million.

County Mental Health and Developmental Services Administrator Tara Fox told the council that the highly competitive grant will allow her agency to focus more on services for children up to age 8 who face significant challenges related to poverty, including difficulty obtaining food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs.

“Many of these families also experience social isolation and trauma, which further exacerbates difficulties in meeting the social and emotional needs of their children,” Fox said.

As she explained, the funding will be used to comprehensively address problems related to the social, emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioral development of children.

“You can’t fix one of these things without fixing all of them,” Fox said.

Contact Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.