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