BREAKING NEWS-UNIONS VOTE ON SHORTENING WORKWEEK

COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION
BY SHERRY MARCHEFSKY

THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO SAVE MONEY. THE BOARD DISCUSSED THE ELIMINATION OF THREE COUNTY POSITIONS AND THE CREATING OF THREE "MERGED" POSITIONS. THOSE POSITIONS ELIMINATED WERE THAT OF BUDGET/PURCHASING MANAGER, RISK MANAGER AND PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR. THE POSITIONS ARE PROPOSED TO BE MERGED WITH OTHER JOBS WITHIN THE COUNTY AND CREATED AN ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINSTRATOR IN CHARGE OF FISCAL OPERATIONS, HUMAN RESOURCE DIRECTOR/RISK MANAGER AND PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR/ASSISTANT RISK MANAGER. THE MERGER OF THESE JOB TITLES, IF APPROVED, THE MERGER OF THESE JOB TITLES WILL SAVE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY AS THEY TRY TO FILL A $3.5 MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET GAP.

GUY WEIDERHOLD, UNION AGENT FOR THOSE COVERED UNDER COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, TOOK ISSUE WITH THESE MERGED POSITIONS, AS HIS UNION MEMBERS ARE VOTING ON WHETHER TO CONCEDE TO A 30 HOUR WORK WEEK FROM 35 HOURS. THIS WOULD CUT AVERAGE PAY FOR UNIONIZED WORKERS WOULD AMOUNT TO 14 PERCENT. WEIDERHOLD SAID THAT RAISING SALARIES IN THE NEWLY CREATED POSITIONS WOULD BE A SLAP IN THE FACE TO HIS WORKERS. IF THE UNIONS DON'T ACCEPT THE REDUCED WORKWEEK, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF 30 TO 50 STAFF JOBS BEING CUT.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, THE ASSESSED VALUATION ON WHICH PROPERTY TAX REVENUE IS BASED IN THE COUNTY WAS UP BY ABOUT $19.9 MILLION DOLLARS, TO $2.46 BILLION DOLLARS. THIS IS THE AMOUNT THAT PROPERTY TAXES ARE BASED ON. THE INCREASED COMPARED TO 2009 IS ABOUT 8 TENTHS OF ONE PERCENT. THOSE FACTS WERE PROVIDED BY GINNY MURRAY, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY CHIEF ASSESSOR. THE PROJECTED HOMESTEAD MEAN VALUE IS $25,935.