County reaches contract with one more union group

The Susquehanna County Courthouse was built in the Greek Revival style – one of the architectural styles prominent in the Montrose Historic District which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

Two of six collective bargaining contracts in the county have been settled. The remaining four contracts are all being negotiated this year.

The county commissioners ratified and approved a five-year arbitration agreement with Teamsters Local 229 for county probation employees at the Wednesday, Aug. 12 meeting. The contract is effective retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year and continues through Dec. 31, 2024. The agreement for Children & Youth Department employees was settled earlier this year.

Commissioner Alan Hall said the employees covered under the contract will see an increase in their health insurance deductibles over the five years, with deductibles moving in steps from $300 to $500 to $750.

Probation employees will also see pay increases of 3.5% in the first two years of the contract, and 3.25% increases in the remaining three years.

The commissioners approved entering agreements with both Trehab and Susquehanna County Housing Redevelopment Authority for administration of the COVID-19 CARES County Relief Fund. The county had been allocated $3.96 in federal CARES money through the state this summer, and dedicated a portion of those funds to be used for business assistance and mortgage/rent relief.

SCHRA is administering the Mortgage and Rent Relief program, and Trehab is heading up the Business Assistance program.

Guidelines and applications for the Mortgage and Rent Relief programs are available on the SCHRA website, www.susqcohra.com; for information on the Business Assistance program, visit www.trehab.org or call 570-278-5240.

The county is also using about $250,000 of that funding to help volunteer fire companies who lost fundraising opportunities this year because of the pandemic. (See related article on this page.)

In other business, the commissioners approved:

*two Tax Claim Bureau exoneration requests, both located in Clifford Twp. The first indicated a mobile home had been moved to an unknown location; the second was deemed abandoned by District Judge Suzanne Brainard and all delinquent taxes will be exonerated.

*entering into an agreement to participate in the Pennsylvania Medical Transportation Program (MATP), effective July 1 through June 30, 2021.

*a Memorandum of Understanding between the PA Dept. of State and Susquehanna County for Center for Internet Security for network monitoring and cyber security services, effective Aug. 12 through Aug. 30, 2024.

*entered into fiscal year 2020-21 agreements with the Behavioral Health, Intellectual Disabilities, Early Intervention program.

The commissioners also approved the 2021 holiday schedule, however, that schedule had not been approved salary board.

There are 13 county holidays, as well as one floating holiday (Monday, Dec. 27). The floating holiday is not applicable to employees in the county prison bargaining unit.

Other 2021 holidays include: New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1; Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 18; President’s Day, Monday, Feb. 15; Good Friday, Friday, April 2; Memorial Day, Monday, May 31; Independence Day (observed), Monday, July 5; Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6; Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 11; Veterans’ Day (observed), Thursday, Nov. 11; Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 25; day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 26; Christmas Day (observed), Friday, Dec. 24; New Year’s Day (observed), Friday, Dec. 31.

 

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