Citizens urged to apply for Luzerne County Children and Youth Advisory Board

Luzerne County Children and Youth Advisory Board Chairman Joshua Wilder is asking county residents to consider applying to serve on the volunteer board, saying the terms of several current members will expire the end of this year.

Wilder said county council and the county administration have strongly supported the agency, now called county Children, Youth and Families.

”Their actions have made the agency a better place to work. The agency is also in the good hands of an exceptional management team. It is an honor to serve on the board and play a role in helping families within Luzerne County. Next year is going to be great,” Wilder said.

To make board seats more accessible to workers, Wilder plans to propose changing meetings from noon to 4:30 p.m. in 2025. He also wants to allay a concern he has heard from prospective board applicants that they will be subjected to traumatic details of cases, saying board involvement in such matters is rare and strictly voluntary.

Wilder also encouraged the public to attend board meetings.

”The easiest way to make someone feel like they are part of the process is to actually make them part of the process. Residents are our bosses, and I want them to be part of the process,” Wilder said.

Information on advisory board meetings is posted under its link in council’s authorities, boards and commissions section at luzernecounty.org . This section also includes applications for citizens to apply for seats on county boards.

County real estate

Council’s Real Estate Committee voted last week to recommend a minimum price for those interested in purchasing unused county-owned property.

The minimum would be 15% of the assessed value of the property.

County Councilwoman LeeAnn McDermott, who chairs the committee, said committee members will put the proposed change in writing and seek council approval at a future meeting.

The change was prompted by a belief purchase offers are coming in too low.

Litigation settlement

Council is set to vote Tuesday on a pending litigation settlement with Lawrence Kansky, the agenda said.

According to the agenda, Kansky filed a complaint against the county in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania alleging his license to carry firearms permit was unlawfully revoked and/or wrongly not reinstated in violation of his constitutional rights.

The county sheriff’s department revoked Kansky’s permit following a criminal arrest and did not reinstate the permit after the criminal charges against him were ultimately dismissed, the agenda said.

The settlement is $15,000 plus fees associated with reinstatement of the permit, it said. Kansky may apply for his permit, which will be issued only upon approval by the state, it said.

Tuesday’s council meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions to attend remotely are posted under council’s online public meetings link at luzernecounty.org .

Tax claim contract

The county administration’s recommendation to continue retaining the county tax-claim operator is up for discussion at Tuesday’s work session, which follows the voting meeting.

Elite Revenue Solutions LLC, a restructured successor entity of Northeast Revenue Services LLC, currently operates tax claim. The companies have been overseeing delinquent tax collections since prior county commissioners outsourced the service 14 years ago.

Elite’s last contract was approved in 2020 to oversee tax claim through 2022, with two optional one-year extensions that were activated.

The county publicly sought proposals from prospective operators last month, and Elite was the lone responder, the agenda said.

Its new contract would run from 2025 through 2027, with two additional optional one-year renewals.

Under the agreement, the county pays nothing out of pocket and receives $72,000 in revenue annually from the company’s rental of an office in the county’s Penn Place Building in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

The company is paid primarily through a penalty added to overdue school and municipal taxes collected by the county as allowed by law. Elite gives the county the 5% collection fee it would have received for the county portion of taxes, which amounts to $350,000 to $400,000 annually, the agenda said.

Elite Revenue has “performed well” in its handling of tax claim, it said. The operator must collect overdue real estate taxes, bring eligible properties to auction and maintain a public database documenting the payment status of each property.

Sept. 11 ceremony

The county is inviting the public to a “We Will Never Forget” ceremony in remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to a posting on the county website.

The ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11 on the county courthouse south lawn.