Arnold appointed commissioner chair

The Susquehanna County Board of Commissioners held their organization meeting on Monday, Jan. 6.

Commissioner Elizabeth Arnold was appointed as chair; and Commissioner Alan Hall was appointed vice chair.

The commissioners moved to reappoint Robert Hyde as Chief Clerk; Linda LaBarbera as Public Defender; and Treasurer Jason Miller as the county’s Director of Tax Claim.

The commissioners also set meetings to be held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, at 9 a.m., at the courthouse. Salary board, election board, and retirement board meetings will be held as necessary and/or required before, during or immediately after the regularly scheduled commissioners’ meeting. If the meeting date falls on a holiday, the commissioners may or may not convene on the following day with proper public notice.

In her first official meeting, Commissioner Judy Herschel asked if the board would consider adjusting the time of the meetings to later in the day; and also consider holding meetings in other venues in the county.

Arnold said she respected Herschel’s opinion but believed that because of security issues the meetings should be held at the courthouse. She also noted that, at times, county employees need to attend a meeting, and also mentioned the county’s need to hold both salary and retirement board meetings.

The salary board is comprised of the three commissioners and county treasurer. The retirement board is comprised of the three commissioners, county treasurer and chief clerk.

The commissioners also scheduled the Board of Assessment Revision meetings for the first Thursday of each month, at 9 a.m. in the assessment office; and the Inspectors of the Jail meeting for the first Tuesday of each month, at 8:30 a.m., in the commissioners’ meeting room.

The commissioners were appointed to the following committees and/or boards:

Commissioners, Election, Assessment boards: commissioners;

Retirement board: commissioners, county treasurer and chief clerk;

Salary board: commissioners, treasurer, elected official;

Jail Inspectors: commissioners, sheriff, district attorney, judge.

NTRPDC, Economic Development, HAZMAT: All commissioners;

Area Agency on Aging: Herschel;

Conservation district: Arnold;

Endless Mts. Visitors Bureau/Susq. Co. Tourism: Arnold;

Housing & Redevelopment Authority: Herschel;

Penn State Extension: Arnold;

Lackawanna-Susquehanna Behavioral Health/Intellectual Disabilities/Early Intervention: Herschel;

Northeast Behavioral Health Care Consortium: Arnold;

Recycling/Solid Waste: Hall, Herschel;

SWAC: Hall;

Tick Borne Diseases Task Force: Arnold;

Trehab: Arnold.