Gloom and doom from Lawton

TL: Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton’s proposed 2014 budget calls for an 8 percent tax increase and contains a $2.77 million gap that will be closed with roughly 55 layoffs if employees don’t offer up concessions.


 There has been something of a collective freakout online and from local politicos over this proposal. My advice is that everybody take a chill pill as this his opening negotiating position and will certainly be modified before a final budget is adopted. How many times have we seen this before from local school districts. The first draft of the budget proposes a big hike in taxes and the final one limits it to only 2 or 3 percent. Then they all slap each other on the back for "working hard" to find efficiencies that limited the tax hike.

The biggest driver of the budget woes is the debt service. The Bond Brothers, Skrep and Vondy , borrowed almost every year to just cover operating expenses and it's going to take about 15 years to dig out of the hole they dug. In the meantime costs increase every year for everything from health care to office supplies. In the end some people will be let go and taxes will go up.

Some Luzerne County Council candidates sound ridiculous about never voting for a tax increase. It's like Grover Norquist got to them.

County council candidate pledges no tax raise

 Paul DeFabo is incoherent. He doesn't want  a tax increase or layoffs. Kathy Dobash and Eileen Sorokas have said no to a tax increase ever. I expected that from Kathy but not Eileen. The rest of them said all the usual things  about cutting expenses but did not rule out raising taxes.

 

Luzerne County finances

I started off blogging about Luzerne County government and politics but haven't written much about it lately. The Yonk  reminded me that I was a unrelenting critic of the games that the Bond Brothers played with numbers that put our county into the hole that it is in. Thankfully convicted criminal Greg Skrepnak and Todd Vonderheid are no longer Commissioners.

As a result of the Juvie Brothers and other scandals the people decided it was time to change the form of government and passed Home Rule. The new county council hired a professional manager after a nationwide search. This new form of government is not perfect but it is a big improvement over the old system of 3 Commissioners and a myriad of elected row officers.

Luzerne County Manager Bob Lawton is getting high marks from the people I have spoke to in county government. He is trying to clean up the mess. I don't agree with all his decisions on some non budget issues such as firing Leonard Piazza as Director of the Election Bureau.

Some of the dead enders will still try to hang on.

Deputy runs office, prothonotary gripes

 

4 seats on the new county council will be up in 2013. I urge all interested candidates to attend Blogfest on September 21st to give your pitch.  The Controller's spot is also up and the only name I've heard on the Dem side is Bob Morgan. Incumbent Walter Griffith is definitely running for reelection.

Sell the Station

County manager: Sell Market Street Square complex

Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton is proposing a new course of action for the train station at the Market Street Square complex in Wilkes-Barre.

On Tuesday, Lawton said he does not support a prior decision to spend $2 million renovating the station and asked the county redevelopment authority to sell the 5 acres of land, train station and its properties in the complex.

Why the county bought this pile of junk from Thom Greco for $5.8 million was a mystery to me and many others, the Bond Brothers made that deal.

In 2010, Greco was sentenced to two years probation for failing to tell federal agents he was the victim of a shakedown by former county Commissioner Greg Skrepenak.

Greco said Skrepenak refused to pay a bill of more than $10,000 for televisions supplied to a sports bar run by Skrepenak's father, and prosecutors said the televisions were a reward for helping with the purchase of the train station complex.

Lawton has decided not to piss away more money on a property that is a total mess which is a good call. The idea that a visitors center could be built or the miracle of restored train service is not in the cards. The main building has been neglected for so long it is probably in similar  shape as the Hotel Sterling. Steve Urban thinks it's all about him   
"He is retaliating against me personally because I'm a supporter of the project," said Urban, who did not attend the meeting. "Anything we started he wants to destroy."

I always liked Steve when he was the minority commissioner willing to to say NO to stupid spending but he seems  to go off the rails on this one.

Luzerne County is broke, it is less than broke with almost $500 million in debt obligations so spending on new projects is out out the question.

 

 

 

New row officers staff up

As first reported by Mark Luzerne County Controller-elect Walter Griffith
has selected Frank Pinnacoli to be deputy controller and Thomas Mosca as his new solicitor.

Pinnacoli has a BA in accounting from Kings College and has had a number of jobs the last few years. Price Waterhouse Coopers in New York City, CTSI in Dallas Acton Technologies Inc. in Pittston , Pella Products Inc. in Dunmore. Pinnacoli currently owns NEPA Accounting & Consulting Inc. in Kingston, a business he started with his father.

He replaces acting Controller AJ Martinelli who has to answer questions about his involvement with former Human Resources Director Doug Richards and the Continental Consultants Group. Earlier this year the Citizens Voice had a story about the no bid contract with Continental Consultants and I wrote about it in January. Not even the Commissioners knew what is going on let alone our clueless former Controller and present Commissioner Chairwoman. Why it took 10 months to expose this fraud is something all 3 commissioners and the acting controller have to answer for when all the information was in the public record. This should have been addressed long before the FBI had to figure it out for them. Martinelli also made the Idiot Watch with his spectacular pants falling down “Give me a break” DUI arrest performance.


Sam Stretton will be the solicitor when Carolee Medico Olenginski returns to the Luzerne County Prothonotary’s Office in January. Stretton was her solicitor the first time she held the office and later was the solicitor for former Controller Steve Flood who first blew the whistle on the Juvie Brothers and the 20 year lease of PA Child Care "negotiated" by the Bond Brothers. Primary Controller candidate Bob Sypniewski will be her deputy. Bob has previously said he would put his business interest on the back burner and work full time for the county.

Carolee has yet to name her interior decorator.

Luzerne County Budget

The good news is there is no new borrowing. The bad news is just about everything else.

This year's plan comes in with about $2 million less spending than last year. To get there Commissioner Chair Maryanne Petrilla wants to close Moon Lake Park and the ball fields at the Forty Fort Airport plus all employees are to take 12 furlough days without pay. Commissioner Steve Urban wants 24 furlough days. That will be problematic because it needs agreement from the unions and the row officers. One of the problems with our present form of government is the row officers are not accountable to anyone which hopefully be rectified by the new county charter that will be written by the Government Study Commission. I have to disagree with the Blogfather, I think the unions will cooperate to save as many jobs as they can. The problems we face today are not the fault of the unions but the past administration of the Bond Brothers.

The biggest hole in the budget is the more than doubling of debt service from $9.5 million this year to $21.7 million in 2010. Every budget that Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid with the help of Sam Diaz put together refinanced existing debt and had unrealistic revenues.


Chief of Budget and Finance Tom Pribula has told the commissioners the county should not borrow any money next year. Pribula said Skrepenak wants "another Diaz budget with unfunded debt."

"Your eyes would come out your head if you realized the ridiculous, fictitious revenues that were in this county that never came to fruition, which has put us in this spot."

Profile in courage Commissioner Greg Skrepenak doesn't want to eliminate any county jobs and will not support a tax increase.

I've been bitching about the creative accounting (lies) in the Luzerne County budget process as long as I've been blogging.

From 2007

Another work of fiction


With all the outrage over the Debit Card scandal the fact that the latest Luzerne County budget doesn't add up has been overlooked. This year's plan has an eerie resemblance to last year's nonsense with even more invented revenues. Last year the budget called for $4 million from land sales that never happened and this year the figure is $6.3 million. Last year the county was supposed to get $3 million from beefed-up tax collections and they inflate that to $14 million from collection of unpaid property taxes for 2008.

The number that jumps out at you in the end is a 18.5% increase in property taxes. Steve Urban did the responsible thing and voted for the budget to move the process forward but he is not happy about it.

"I'm going to vote to put the budget on the table, but I'm going to tell you right now, I'm not going to vote on this tax increase," Urban said. "And I'll vote to shut this place down on Dec. 30, if we don't have a budget that makes sense to me and we don't have the spending cuts that I believe are necessary to move this county forward."

I doubt that the tax increase will be that big but in the end there will be a tax increase. I realize that taxes are the price we pay for civilization but I want to be assured that my tax money is being spent for things that are absolutely necessary. There have always been rumors of no show jobs and documented cases of outright theft in the Luzerne County courthouse that makes me reluctant to support a tax increase. I'm coming around to Big Dan and the Yonk's idea of just blowing up the place and starting over.

Skrep wants to borrow more money

"I am alright with borrowing."- Luzerne County Commissioner Gregory Skrepenak

No matter how many jobs they eliminate or expenses that they cut in the end Majority Commissioners Democrat Maryanne Petrilla and Republican Steve Urban will have to vote to raise property taxes if they want to avoid borrowing even more money. Nobody wants to pay more taxes, I know I don't, and they just may pay for that decision in the next election.

The reason this is coming to a head now is because the last administration of the Bond Brothers, Skrep and Todd Vonderheid, put out unrealistic budgets full of fictitious revenues then scrambled the next year restructuring debt and borrowing even more money just to meet payroll.

Nobody has been as hard on Petrilla as I have been. I would like to interview her and ask some questions about the 2004 campaign but she has been upfront on the county's fiscals woes.

It's hard to follow the incompetence and fiscal recklessness of the previous administration. Just ask Barack Obama.


http://citizensvoice.com/news/budget_hearings_start_as_county_looks_to_make_cuts

Vonderheid would do it again

Former Luzerne County Commissioner Todd Vonderheid told the the Luzerne County Government Study Commission on Wednesday that he would vote to lease the PA Child Care juvie prison in Pittston again.

CV: In November 2004, commissioners Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak signed a $58-million, 20-year lease for a juvenile facility owned by Hazleton-area attorney Robert J. Powell and western-Pennsylvania businessman Gregory Zappala...In January, disgraced former judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan were charged with taking more than $2.8 million in a kickback scheme to send juveniles to Pennsylvania Child Care LLC's facilities. Powell pleaded guilty in July; Zappala has not been charged or accused of wrongdoing..."I'd sign that lease tomorrow, with only two alterations," he said.

I'm not going to rehash all the controversy about that decision because everybody who reads the local papaers and this blog knows the story. I just find that statement to be in-fucking-credible.

Vonderheid is now the head honcho of the local chamber of commerce that always tells us that we have "great work ethic" and promises "good paying jobs." Under his stellar management the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry just avoided having it's headquarters sold at tax sale.

While he was in office he teamed with Greg Skrepenak and an army of consultants to produce county budgets that were works of fiction resulting in ever more borrowing every year just to pay the bills. That's why I call them the Bond Brothers.

Now we have to deal with Skrep and Vondy's lack of basic math skills and Commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Steve Urban will have to bite the bullet and raise taxes to balance the budget. They are already getting beat up in the newspapers comment sections about the possibility. Last week Urban told me that they are not going to borrow any more money and I don't think that they could even if they wanted to because the county has reached the limit.

Nobody wants to pay more property taxes but I don't see an alternative.

A big pile of junk

After the owner, Al Roman, of the Huber Breaker in Ashley threatened to sell the place as scrap metal the Bond Brothers went into panic pass mode and decided to take the property by eminent domain. The Commissioners have since backed off from that but Mr. Roman smelled the bucks and now is suing.

Huber Breaker owner suing county for $1.7M


No. 1 Contracting Corp., owner of the historic Huber Breaker, is seeking nearly $1.7 million from Luzerne County in a lawsuit filed last Friday. No. 1 is suing the county for abuse of process, malicious prosecution of civil proceedings and negligent interference with a contract. The company claims it is now obligated to remove steel from the site at a cost of almost $200,000 - instead of getting nearly $1.5 million - because of county decisions.

It would take at least $10 million to restore the site and make it into some sort of tourist attraction that very few people will ever visit. We don't need another White Elephant like Steamtown.

In other Luzerne County news the $9 million budget gap will filled by borrowing $18 million. It must be an example of the new math.

Luzerne County theme song

We have the Bond Brothers and the Juvie Brothers and in honor what is going on with the Sheriffs Department the Chemical Brothers seems like the right choice. I don't think I can even list all the scandals going on right now, maybe the The Yonk is right and the courthouse should just be blown up. Other suggestions for a theme song are welcome.


Out of Control-chemical brothers

Sam Guesto is worried about his job

And he should be.

TL: Guesto’s acquaintances say he is fearful he will be terminated. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Guesto was hired to the post in February 2008, after taxpayer predictions that the job was created for him. Guesto had resigned from his previous job as county chief clerk/administrator when it became apparent that Commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Stephen A. Urban wouldn’t retain him.

Sam Guesto is credited with negotiating the the PA Child Care lease that sounds more like he was taking dictation. He ordered changes to the design of the new prison that will not be built for many years if ever because of the debt that the county had run up under the Bond Brothers and previous regimes. And he was in charge of the debit cards that were used in strip clubs and elaborate dinners with big booze bills. Guesto also twisted arms at the county prison he told county prison officials not to bid out items that were previously bid, telling the kitchen manager during a March 2006 meeting, “…do it or it’s your ass.”

The best outcome for Mr. Guesto is that he only be fired.

Luzerne County rumors

I take 2 days off from blogging and all hell brakes loose.


First off the rumor of Bill Sharkey was stealing the confiscated proceeds of video poker machines that are in just about every bar in the area turns out to be true. Sharkey is a long time employee of the courts who, until now, was most famous for engaging in that time honored local tradition of getting his relatives on the public payroll. His son works as juvenile probation officer as well as his daughter and his sister-in-law is in domestic relations. He's making $97,000 a year but still felt the need to embezzle $70,000 over the last 10 years. It's ironic that Governor Rendell announced today that he wants to legalize video poker machines to help pay for higher education.

I've heard it from enough reliable sources now to predict that Prothonotary Jill Moran will resign if she hasn't already. She is a business partner of the Juvie Brothers (Big Dan wins the contest) Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan and a law partner of Participant 1, Robert Powell. She even falsified a tax lien changing Powell's name to John Doe. At the time I wasn't sure if that was a crime but a few lawyer friends say it is and the Feds seem to agree.

This one caught me by surprise. Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak said he did not try to commit suicide. He also denies that he took any payoffs when he and Todd Vonderheid approved a 20 year $58 million lease for PA Child Care. I hope that is true but Skrep and the other Bond Brother have some explaining to do.

Luzerne County budget

For the first time time since I have been blogging the Luzerne County Commissioners have proposed a realistic budget. It has a lot of pain that could have been avoided if past administrations didn't inflate revenue projections to avoid a tax increase then scramble the next year to borrow the money they knew they didn't have.





The previous regime of the Bond Brothers, present minority Commissioner Greg Skrepnak and past commissioner Todd Vonderheid (who moved on to the Chamber of Commerce), and people before them presented works of fiction that counted on money from land sales that never happened and more aggressive tax collection, etc. When that didn't work out they floated another bond so now the county is just about tapped out on how much debt it can take on. No new prison or anything else.



Majority Commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Stephen Urban have come up with a mix of tax increases, fees, borrowing and layoffs to try to bring some sanity back into the process. I hate the layoff and borrowing parts but they are being up front about it instead of waiting until January to drop a bomb.

Now the question is will the row officers and the courts go along with this plan.

The borrowing has to stop

“Every American citizen is forced to tighten his or her belt and to become fiscally more responsible during this period of economic stress – the county should not be excused from such necessity simply because political in-fighting has polarized county officials from acting in a fiscally responsible manner by reviewing financial information which was reasonably available and foreseeable.”- Judge Ann Lokuta


Judge Lokuta told the county government to get its act together. When I read her decision on Luzerne County's request to borrow another $16 million to cover this year's shortfall I felt like somebody finally gets it. I have been complaining the outright lies and fiction that has passed for a county budget for as long as I have been blogging. Every year they expect millions from land sales that never happen and tell us that beefed up tax collection will bring in tens of millions more that they haven't been able to collect in the past. They offer early outs to employees then hire them back through temp agencies and cronies get no bid contracts that violate state law. A partial archive of my bitching about these practices are available here if you're interested. And how many times have they floated a bond for one purpose then spent it on another project. In 2003 $9 million was borrowed to build a new for a new county-owned juvenile detention facility. It was never built because the Bond Brothers (Skrep and Vondy) decided to sign a 20 year $58 million lease with a private company, PA Child Care, that was owned by a business partner of a couple of local judges. Instead of returning the money or holding on to it to deal with a future emergency that eventually came they spent it on other projects. And it has happened over and over again.


Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla is warning of layoffs and has asked all the department heads for help in cutting costs and they are reported to be helpful. We will see about that. The TL reports that our esteemed head of the county Judiciary told her to take a hike.


Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said she called county Court of Common Pleas President Judge Mark Ciavarella on Thursday to discuss upcoming employee layoffs, and he refused to cooperate.
Petrilla said the judge told her no layoffs will occur in any court branches, and commissioners can’t “touch” court employees. He said he will get a court order and sue commissioners who attempt to institute layoffs in court branches, Petrilla said.
Those branches include domestic relations, probation services, court administration, district justice offices, central court and stenographers.

Luzerne County update

“Next year is not what I am ruling on.”- Judge Ann Lokuta


Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla is promissing cuts in next year's budget but Judge Lokuta doesn't buy into it. Walter Griffith and Ed Chesnovitch have been drilling county officials in the hearings on their request to borrow $16 million to cover last year's bills and she has let them question the officials dealing with this mess.

It would be helpful if Sam Diaz and Sam Guesto testified on how the county got into this bind in the first place.

Petrilla wants to cut 20 percent from the county’s 2009 budget


Judge Lokuta will decide if county can borrow $16 M


Judge grills Petrilla on ’08 deficit


The latest version of the Life Transiition plan claims that $1.8 million will be saved in 2009 with the acceptance of an early-retirement incentive plan by 127 county employees. The last time they tried this the county hired back many of the so called retired employees through a temp agency. I have yet to see an accounting or progress report that documents any money that has been saved. The temp agency that the Bond Brothers (Greg Skrepenak and Todd Vonderheid) used was One Source Staffing Solutions owned by 10th CD Republican candidate Chris Hackett who gave his first ever political contribution to the Bond Brothers reelection committee.



Musto chosen to fill county judge vacancy


Joe Musto, brother of State Senator Ray Musto, will serve out the term of Judge Michael Conahan on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas who supposedly resigned last year. Conanhan has moved on to being a senior Judge presiding over bench trials that everyone who pays attention knows who will win. The rumor mill says that Conahan is in deep doo doo because of his actions involving PA Child Care. Musto was appointed to the bench in 1993 by Governor Casey but lost the following election to Conahan. I think we got that one wrong.

Bonds, Luzerne County bonds

Bond issue nets county $72.3 M

County closes on $87M+ bond deal

I know that you have to borrow money to pay for things you can't pay for today (house, car, appliances) but will be able to pay off in a reasonable period of time and government has to do the same thing. The trick is not to get in over your head and don't borrow for things you want instead of what you need. That's why I have a problem with this latest bond issue. The last time I checked Luzerne County was on the hook for over $300 million in principle and interest payments over the next 20 years. Remember that a bond is only a loan against future taxes. The list of projects in the TL doesn't have many details on what the money will spent on and the Luzerne County Commissioners in the past have had a bad habit of borrowing money for one purpose and spending it on another. Shall I remind you of one thing that is in the news:

In 2003 $9 million was borrowed to build a new for a new county-owned juvenile detention facility. It was never built because the Bond Brothers (Skrep and Vondy) decided to sign a 20 year $58 million lease with a private company, PA Child Care, that was owned by a business partner of a couple of local judges. Instead of returning the money or holding on to it to deal with a future emergency that eventually came they spent it on other projects.

Comment Policy

I don't have one. I do ask that people refrain from attacking candidates families or accusing someone with a crime without proof. Swearing and vulgarity are OK but it is usually senseless. Words like d*bag and c**** are unnecessary when nicknames are usually more effective.

Nicknames are easy

Gov. Rendell-Rapid Edward, not fast Eddie

Vondy and Skrep-The Bond Brothers. Do I have to explain?

And so on

Luzerne County reassessment

The first reassessment of property values in the county since 1965 has been completed and the first wave of notices have gone out to property owners on the west side of the river and people are howling. The local papers and talk radio are full of tales of "sticker shock" and errors by 21st Century Appraisals such as listing buildings on the property that don't exist. One property that has a swamp saw an increase in the land value and my favorite horror story came from an owner of a double block that said one side of the building was valued at $60,000 and the other came in at $85,000 for almost identical properties.

If you want to appeal your new assessment it could cost more than the increase in taxes for the first year. And get this; the best evidence that can be presented is a certified appraisal with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2008. Appraisals with other effective dates won’t hold any weight with the board, even if more recent. So even if you get a new appraisal it will be a waste of money because the appeals board won't even consider it. I will have to check it out further but it sounds like there is not much you can do to dispute the new property values. So beware of lawyers and real estate experts promissing to lower your property taxes for a "modest fee."

For what it's worth there will be a free seminar to learn more about assessment appeals 10-11:30 a.m. June 17 at Genetti Hotel & Convention Center, 77 E. Market St., Wilkes-Barre.

What about the politics of this. The reassessment was supposed to be completed in 2007, but the Bond Brothers found an excuse to push it off another year which cost us another $800,000 that brought the total cost to $8 million and climbing. I can understand why Todd Vonderheid and Greg Skrepenak didn't want to deal with this issue in an election year.

Remember that Skrep took over this process and called Steve Urban a "terrorist" for trying to warn people that they were going to get screwed.

More of my rantings on this subject can be found here.

Pennsylvania 10th CD air war

Chris Hackett fired the first salvo with a TV ad attacking Dan Meuser for donating to Democrats. I would post it but he ad is not on YouTube yet despite my urging.

Which brought this response.


Chris Hackett's Hypocrisy





Now Meuser is attacking Hackett about his donations to Luzerne County Commissioners Skrepnak and Vonderheid then receiving a contract from the county. Meuser also donated to the Bond Brothers.


Dan Meuser Want You to Know the Facts






A press release from the Hackett camp addresses the first ad.

Dallas, PA - Yesterday, Dan Meuser began running an ad that clearly is meant to deceive the voters about his past support for Hillary Clinton. Facing increasingly long odds after pouring in $1.1 million dollars of his own money, Meuser’s campaign has decided to quit even pretending to tell the truth.

Claim: “Chris Hackett is simply not telling the truth about Dan Meuser, Dan never gave a dime to Hillary Clinton.”

Truth: The Chris Hackett campaign ad says, “Meuser even had his company give money to Hillary Clinton.” Pride Mobility PAC gave $1,000 to Hillary Clinton on 12/2/2005. (Source attached from Federal Elections Commission)

“Dan Meuser’s denial of donating to Hillary Clinton after his company’s PAC donated $1,000 to her campaign is a true Clintonian move,” said campaign spokesman Mark Harris, “Dan’s campaign is growing increasingly desperate as voters reject his liberal positions on earmarks and spending. After claiming to have been so involved in Pride’s government relations work and making it a centerpiece of the campaign, now he takes no responsibility for the donations made by his company’s PAC. It is unfortunate that Dan won’t explain why he has repeatedly supported liberal Democrats with thousands of dollars.”


Claim: “Hackett took a $700,000 earmarked contract from a Luzerne County Democrat”

Truth: Chris Hackett’s company, OneSource, competitively bid on a county contract and was awarded the contract. There was no earmark.

“Several staffing agencies were faxed proposals and OneSource Staffing Solutions submitted the most cost advantageous bid for the county, said Chief Clerk Sam Guesto.” – Citizens Voice (1/12/2006)

In fact, it’s clear the Meuser campaign either doesn’t know what an earmark is or are willfully deceiving the voters yet again. According to the Government Accountability Office an earmark is “used to characterize directions included in congressional committee reports but not in the legislation itself.” As noted by Thomas Schatz of Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, a leading national anti-earmarking, “First, a contract award is not by definition an earmark, and second, since several staffing companies were given the opportunity to bid for a contract and OneSource Staffing Solutions won the bid, it cannot be considered a “no-bid” contract.”

“Again, the Meuser campaign is purposefully and willfully lying to voters to cover up Dan’s history of support for liberal politicians and policies. Dan says he didn’t donate to Hillary, but his company did. Dan says Chris received an earmark, but Chris did not. There is a continuing pattern of desperation as the Meuser campaign tries to cover up his donations to Ed Rendell and Hillary Clinton and his liberal position on federal spending,” said campaign spokesman Mark Harris.

It's all Tim's fault

“It’s not about me,” ...“It’s about the issues.”- Tim Grier

Officials ask citizen Tim Grier to withdraw challenge to bond borrowing to avoid layoffs, cuts.

SHUTDOWN CONSIDERED

It's all Tim's fault that every year the Luzerne County Commissioners have to borrow money to pay last years bills. It's all Tim's fault that they borrow money for one thing and spend it on another in violation of state law. It's his fault that they hid the looming deficit until after the election, violating the Bond Brothers (Skrep and Vondy) policy of regular budget updates.

And who's fault was it to let a few select people pay for their personal entertainment expenses with a county debit card?

DebitCardmissoner Greg Skrepenak has threatened to shut down the Luzerne County government if Grier doesn't back down saying the latest bond issue is needed to pay back last years tax anticipation loan which will lead to all sorts of dire financial consequences.

But there is an alternative before drastic measures have to be taken if the county will go to the courts and ask to borrow the money to cover this years shortfall. That process allows a 10-year repayment schedule; the county wants a 20-year repayment schedule.

“There’s no reason to stretch it out,” Grier said. “You have the option to go to the courts.

Is that correct?”

Sam Guesto responded, “That’s correct.

”“There you have it,” Grier said.

So the short term crises can be avoided and all this borrowing can be more defined hopefully with proviso that if you don't spend it on the original project the money must be returned.

The Urban Terrorist keeps asking questions

“I’m going to ask questions because that’s my job.”-Commissioner Stephen Urban


It looks like the Luzerne County budget is not balanced after all. Last year the Bond Brothers (Skrep and Vondy) presented an election year "balanced budget" that relied on some questionable revenue projections that included some hoped for money from land sales that haven't happened yet. They were also counting on another $3 million from beefed-up tax collection. How's that going? The previous 3 years they had to float a bond to just meet payroll and it looks like that will happen again but not until after the election.

They are also looking at borrowing an enormous amount of money to build a new prison but have started eminent domain proceedings to pay the owner of the Huber Breaker a kings ransom in the hope of turning that big pile of junk into some sort of anthracite magical mystery tour. Paid for by another bond.