[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6480573,"mediaKeyId","5680430-ebc96b04fec85088fd5d0728dd7c7a74","parentId",5680430,"title","Votes at a glance: commissioners approve payables, internships, CDBG contracts, youth services contracts and data-sharing agreements","audioSeconds",691,"startMs",863000,"endMs",1554000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5680430-ebc96b04fec85088fd5d0728dd7c7a74&start=863&end=1554","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5680430-ebc96b04fec85088fd5d0728dd7c7a74/thumbnail_863000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6480573/Lackawanna-County/Pennsylvania/Votes-at-a-glance-commissioners-approve-payables-internships-CDBG-contracts-youth-services-contracts-and-data-sharing-agreements","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480573-7c0e4a1fe21bacfd123fadad5bc8bfa0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775459616&Signature=ShAT77BPHleVnWq-ijIEzGVr1qrECBb4oQO13lWqbhk5-RoelPgVb0tqQ3oxqeygPP5nkgwAs9AGQ1komlZYGug4m9CdrY0jWH645TrAxOPIiaritMfWyFAnICsffOYgKU2Q9QQet1W3WQyNAbtlRWa0W7gVTfZ6YpzbappxzYjjST7iiouuU-7F1RBdYNJsKtYP4AQS2I4yKRdJJda9XxuIQXTLP6qQRoewsuMG7mk4kaQ2~pOV52Yiwx2FmgE-qKo-tIkXVGsn35x0i1xvdgKp8wqHcrZJH05tKMy7Q8ILE8I1IO4NjKzbaRBzIgoEI6RqSqvX2GIcfmKN5u0tkA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lackawanna County, PA","date","2025-08-27T12:55:54Z","article","The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners approved a slate of resolutions on Aug. 20, 2025, covering payables, intergovernmental agreements, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) construction contracts, internship and licensing arrangements, and multiple human-services provider contracts.

Key approved items included:

- Payables (Resolution 25-0203): Commissioners approved Lackawanna County general fund payables (listed in the meeting packet) totaling $2,902,420.13 and electronic fund transfers including payroll totaling $3,919,817.09.

- Memorandum of Understanding with the District Attorney’s Office for the community service program (Resolution 25-0204): Approved; (See separate article for details.)

- Internship agreement with the University of Scranton (Resolution 25-0205): The board approved a site agreement to continue the county internship program; county staff reported 20 interns served last year across departments.

- License agreement with the Scranton Cultural Center (Resolution 25-0206): The Tax Claim Bureau was authorized to rent the Scranton Cultural Center’s ballroom for the September 2025 upset tax sale at a cost of $1,040; bidders pay a $35 registration fee that the director said will cover the rental.

- CDBG construction contract for Taylorboro (Resolution 25-0207): Awarded to American Asphalt of Shavertown for $373,400 for Schlager Street improvements (full-depth milling, asphalt resurfacing, drainage improvements). County staff said the project is CDBG-funded and time-sensitive, with a completion deadline tied to grant terms.

- CDBG construction contract for Dickson City (Resolution 25-0208): Awarded to Stiferski Paving Company for $87,000 for the Bernard Sieminski Memorial Park Development Project; county staff said the project aims to make park features ADA-compliant and is funded by CDBG (no cost to the county).

- Office of Youth and Family Services professional-service agreements (Resolution 25-0209) and provider agreements (Resolution 25-0211): The board approved multiple annual contract renewals and new contracts for services including forensic interviews, independent living, foster care and residential placements. Director Carrie Browning told the board that many of these services are reimbursed at 80% or 60% by the state; several new contracts were described for children who are difficult to place.

- Child Welfare Information Solution (CWIS) data-sharing agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (Resolution 25-0210): Approved; the contract covers electronic data exchange for county children and youth agencies for Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2026. County staff described this as an annual, state-mandated agreement with no county cost.

All listed resolutions were adopted by the board in voice votes during the meeting. Several items were described by staff as reimbursed by state funding or funded through CDBG, meaning little or no direct county general-fund cost for those projects.

Several of the approvals were described as time-sensitive due to grant deadlines or scheduled events; staff indicated they will proceed with contracting and implementation steps now that the board has authorized each item.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners 8 20 25","oneSentenceSummary","The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners approved a slate of resolutions on Aug. 20, 2025, covering payables, intergovernmental agreements, CDBG contracts, internships, licensing and multiple human-services provider contracts.","taxTitle","Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania","taxId",2940,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6480578,"Lackawanna County, district attorney agree to restart community service program under 10-year MOU",279,933000,1212000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5680430-ebc96b04fec85088fd5d0728dd7c7a74&start=933&end=1212","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5680430-ebc96b04fec85088fd5d0728dd7c7a74/thumbnail_933000.jpg","/articles/6480578/Lackawanna-County/Pennsylvania/Lackawanna-County-district-attorney-agree-to-restart-community-service-program-under-10-year-MOU","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480578-6776fdebb89fac5fffbd5f542158e8e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775459616&Signature=BkqavUI7lNHMA4PPac2WAzQCRvP1UZcKYbsg5koFm9kdrVCcaTiCPRgKtLCU1uM6iebiSNexw8GC86U-dGzVPF4f2BVluz8andRTg8aRtNI0YDxtJqOsz4W7Yncjl-pUsDIv3v2GkUA42y-GJNjgie-I7s2w3dd7bVUOl1WJOMacnbpkVqSEljYJBfc7j3C8mSRTHCEH0Zl9qlgbZVgXqzZEO9LqVWn~VGvDS3ThOvGtK2w71KnV3TpeElfN~3GXb3Pt7XrZ84hcRODDtQdWYcpnrczNkOQWuZkB9Iynl9v4yWReSPj0GHaoVCxBTtpbCpUSYi-ut8kEj70IkgLxWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 20, 2025, to enter a 10-year memorandum of understanding with the office of the district attorney to reestablish the county’s community service program.

District Attorney Brian Gallagher told the commissioners that the DA’s office ran a community service program prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and that the office has the capacity to revive it. Gallagher said the earlier program produced 27,000 hours of community service performed by 528 defendants in 2017 and that the work had represented roughly $652,000 in value to local organizations and municipalities.

Gallagher described the program as a tool for courts, judges, and prosecutors to assign community service hours as part of probation sentences, in lieu of fines, or through plea agreements and diversion programs. He said the program serves towns, boroughs, municipalities and nonprofit organizations and helps with routine maintenance projects while offering rehabilitative benefits to participants.

Commissioners emphasized the program’s prior success and their support for reinstating it. Several members called it a “win-win,” saying local nonprofits and municipalities gain volunteer labor while participants gain accountability and rehabilitation opportunities. Members of the public who addressed the board during the public comment period, including Michelle Tierney and Virgil Argento, praised the decision and described past benefits from similar programs.

The MOU takes effect immediately and remains in place for 10 years, according to the resolution text. District Attorney Gallagher said there would be no additional county cost to restart the program; he said the DA’s office can implement and manage the program in coordination with common pleas judges, magisterial district judges and probation/parole services.

The commissioners approved the MOU by voice vote.","The Board of Commissioners approved a 10-year memorandum of understanding with the Lackawanna County District Attorney to reestablish a countywide community service program that assigns low-level offenders to public-service hours for municipalities and nonprofits; the DA said the prior program saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6480583,"Lackawanna County approves $15 recorder fee to fund demolition of blighted properties",575,281000,856000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5680430-ebc96b04fec85088fd5d0728dd7c7a74&start=281&end=856","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5680430-ebc96b04fec85088fd5d0728dd7c7a74/thumbnail_281000.jpg","/articles/6480583/Lackawanna-County/Pennsylvania/Lackawanna-County-approves-15-recorder-fee-to-fund-demolition-of-blighted-properties","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6480583-4469c2224b9ae83c9cdb9b2b2a1dc958/orig.mp4?Expires=1775459616&Signature=EXi7ie2JOyx6ybd-IR9IN7ub54wMR85dzYKvfZYh8Gn34srxXjcH-TkgnAIwQOIGXmJCjlgBZetgocLDc628GllRZkfhNgLoYZk6P5m1BB1m9In4KgvaGDgE4pQgTWXeeopRkR1e0TX3a0SZiWG3QBsiXQycxR0~uwokJ-9VBBrIIjEXzVbmp~dqV9awXlYqX3BrcdgnRhxq45fD2uWZyhlXW-USaA85VQIc8IZppUYCgp47Rl8KBMXbmpA8Ar2WqpA4u~ba7oSqp~BGr4U6fYPpdYXuPpNofvHKYsq6c7AFVmw2nnxSemjXo2KXk8gs4R5SVbOjw8Ic2AlyM51Izw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt Ordinance 299 on Aug. 20, 2025, creating a county demolition fund financed by a $15 fee to be collected by the Lackawanna County Recorder of Deeds on every deed and mortgage recorded in the office.

The ordinance, authorized under Pennsylvania Act 87 of 1982 as amended by Act 152 of 2016, directs the Recorder of Deeds to deposit collected fees into a designated demolition fund to be administered by the Lackawanna County Land Bank. The ordinance states the fee becomes effective Dec. 1, 2025, not less than 90 days after final adoption.

Krista Magnotta, the county’s director of economic development, told the commissioners that 26 Pennsylvania counties had implemented similar demolition funds and estimated that, had the ordinance been in place in 2024, the county would have collected about $174,105 to address blighted properties. Magnotta also said program guidelines are still being developed with solicitors and that liens would likely be part of the program so the county could recoup demolition costs when properties sell.

Members of the public and stakeholders spoke during the agenda-only public comment period. Chris Fay, government affairs director for the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors, said his organization could not support the ordinance “in this format” because it would add a transaction cost to every property transfer and could affect affordability for first-time buyers, seniors and working families. Fay urged the commissioners to consider exemptions for vulnerable buyers and to include a sunset provision so the program can be evaluated.

Resident Lorraine Cummings also opposed the measure on affordability grounds, saying she viewed it as “a backdoor tax.” Commissioners responded that exemptions could be created while drafting program guidelines. One commissioner noted existing first-time homebuyer programs, including NeighborWorks, may cover certain closing costs and said a $15 fee was not “prohibitive.”

The board approved the ordinance on a voice vote. The ordinance text directs that all funds collected be used exclusively for demolition of blighted properties, deposited promptly by the Recorder of Deeds, and administered by the county land bank. Implementation details, including any exemptions and how liens will be handled, will be worked out in forthcoming program guidelines drafted with the county solicitors.

Effective date: Dec. 1, 2025. Funding estimate cited during the meeting: approximately $174,105 (county presentation); an alternate estimate cited by a public commenter: approximately $150,000.","The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners approved Ordinance 299 on its second reading to create a county demolition fund financed by a $15 fee collected by the Recorder of Deeds on recorded deeds and mortgages; the fee becomes effective Dec. 1, 2025 and the fund will be administered by the county land bank.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: commissioners approve payables, internships, CDBG contracts, youth services contracts and data-sharing agreements

Lackawanna County, district attorney agree to restart community service program under 10-year MOU

Lackawanna County approves $15 recorder fee to fund demolition of blighted properties