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Residents press commissioners for transparency on county gun-safety grant; consultants' invoices, survey to students questioned
Summary
Residents and public officials on June 18 pressed Monroe County commissioners for public clarity about a roughly $695,000 state-funded gun-safety grant, questioning consultant fees and whether student questionnaires are appropriate.
Multiple residents and officials at the June 18 meeting raised questions about Monroe County’s Community Partnership for Gun Safety grant, focusing on consultant invoices, the project’s use of student questionnaires, and how much of the awarded funds are going to consultants rather than direct community services.
Theresa Tesh, a public commenter, said she obtained the grant application and questioned why the county’s $695,000 award included a survey for high-school students when the application text emphasized prosecutorial and investigative capacity. Tesh asked the commissioners to hold a public meeting to explain the grant’s scope, invoices and expenditures.
“I’m requesting that maybe we have a public meeting and so this way the people can ask questions specific to… I don't understand how… the initial application… says the Monroe County office of the district attorney is requesting $50,000 to create a gun violence prevention strategic plan… so I don't understand why the $695,000 was given that includes a survey to high schoolers,” Tesh said.
Christine Bush read a statement from state Sen. Rosemary Brown’s office that supported the county’s work on gun safety but urged caution about student questionnaires, calling some questions “overly personal” and recommending dialogue about methods that do not probe sensitive information.
Commissioners, grants staff, the county controller and partnership co-chairs responded. Jen Stroup (grants staff) and others explained the grant was a competitive award from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and would not have come to the county without Monroe County’s application. The board noted grant guidelines limit how funds may be reallocated and that subcontracts to consultants are permitted within budgeted line items.
Dr. Salina (co-chair) and Mr. Jacobson (co-chair) of the Community Partnership for Gun Safety addressed invoicing questions. They and the county controller said the consultants bill at $70 per hour and submit invoices monthly; the controller noted timing and payment-processing lags can make disbursement dates look clustered in county records.
Several commenters asked for invoices and scopes of work; county staff and the controller said invoices had been provided to the county’s open-records officer and offered to meet with requesters to review documentation. Commissioners encouraged follow-up meetings to review invoices and to clarify allowable uses under PCCD grant rules.
No formal action was taken at the meeting beyond a commitment from staff to locate and share responsive records and to meet with concerned residents.
