Radick Luzerne County Council unanimously confirmed Paula Radick’s hiring Tuesday as the new judicial services and records division head.
After lengthy debate, a council majority also approved a real estate tax break for a Hazle Township development.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo nominated Radick for the division head position.
A county assistant solicitor, Radick has been serving as acting judicial services and records division head since May. The position is open because Joan Hoggarth retired May 20.
One of eight division head positions, the judicial services and records overseer covers the deeds, wills, sheriff, coroner and civil/criminal court records departments in addition to the county records storage facility in Hanover Township.
Radick, of Hazle Township, will receive $96,862 annually.
A graduate of MMI Preparatory School, King’s College and the Dickinson School of Law, Radick has largely handled election board matters in her position as assistant solicitor in the county law division.
Radick previously worked in both the public and private law sectors, including positions in the county District Attorney’s Office and as a law clerk in federal magistrate court in Pennsylvania’s Middle District and the county Court of Common Pleas, Crocamo said.
Following the vote, Crocamo lightheartedly said she wants to “welcome Paula Radick to the jungle,” prompting applause for the confirmation.
In a follow-up statement, Crocamo said she is pleased to welcome Radick and thanked council for its support.
“Paula’s extensive knowledge of judicial services and records will undoubtedly contribute to the success of the division. I am confident that under her guidance, the division will continue to thrive and achieve new heights,” Crocamo said.
Crocamo added she looks forward to the positive changes and developments she expects Radick will bring to the division.
“Her passion for justice and her unwavering commitment to serving the community make her the perfect fit for this role,” Crocamo said.
Radick said she has immersed herself in division departments the past two months.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to continue all the projects I’ve started in these departments,” Radick said.
Tax break
Under a revised agreement approved Tuesday, Flint Development will receive an 80% county tax reduction on new construction for the first seven years, followed by 70% in the eighth year, 60% in the ninth and 50% in the tenth and final year of the break.
The break is through the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program for blighted properties and applies only to the new construction portion. The owner will continue paying taxes on the land throughout the decade.
Listed under Hazleton Logistics LLC, the project will construct two industrial properties totaling 802,732 square feet in the Humboldt Industrial Park.
Flint Development revised its proposal four times based on continued negative feedback from some council members.
Crocamo told council that this particular break would be passed on to prospective tenants to attract them to the sites.
Nine council members approved the break: Patty Krushnowski, Kevin Lescavage, Chairman John Lombardo, LeeAnn McDermott, Chris Perry, Jimmy Sabatino, Brittany Stephenson, Vice Chairman Brian Thornton and Gregory S. Wolovich Jr.
The remaining council members — Harry Haas and Joanna Bryn Smith — voted no.
Haas unsuccessfully proposed an amendment further reducing the abatement percentages. He argued the development would likely occur without the county break due to the continued demand in this region.
Bryn Smith made a similar point in voting against this break, saying the developer already has broken ground at the site.
Lescavage said past efforts to attract development to deteriorated property must continue to increase the future tax base and alleviate the burden on residential property owners.
Councilman Chris Perry cited one example, estimating the county will start receiving an additional $1 million in annual real estate taxes in 2027 after the expiration of a tax break on Missouri-based NorthPoint Development’s 172-acre project in Hanover Township, which attracted Chewy.com, Adidas and Patagonia Inc.
Perry said taxing bodies were “getting nothing from that land” before the project and that extensive sitework was necessary to prepare the coal mine-scarred site.
Sabatino said he and other colleagues worked to revise the Hazle Township tax break to make it more beneficial to the county, and he cannot support “changing it arbitrarily in the middle of a meeting.”
Sabatino suggested council come up with standard tax break schedules going forward based on project categories, such as housing, manufacturing and warehouses.
Thornton said he is not willing to risk the loss of development — and jobs — to other counties that are willing to provide tax breaks.
Lombardo said revenue from expired tax breaks helped the Pittston Area School District avoid tax increases.
“We will reap massive benefits from this,” Lombardo said.
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