Salary board creates director post for county youth and family services to meet state settlement

The Lackawanna County Salary Board voted to create a director position for the Office of Youth and Family Services and set the salary at $130,000 during its meeting.

County officials said the position is required by a settlement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that restored the office's full license. The presenter said the position must be created and filled within 45 days of the signed agreement or "the agreement will be null and void." The board approved the motion by voice vote.

The presenter told the board staff researched salaries for class 3 counties and found an average of $132,043; the new position was recommended at $130,000. The presenter said the countyshare of the salary will be $26,000 and that the position will be paid 80 percent by the state. A county staff member confirmed that without creating the position, "the settlement with the state to receive our full license just simply won't happen." Commissioner Schulz agreed with that assessment.

Board members made the motion and seconded it; the motion passed by voice vote with the ayes prevailing. No roll-call vote or individual tallies were recorded in the publicly available transcript.

The action implements a term of the Nov. 27 settlement referenced in the meeting and carries a near-term implementation deadline (45 days) that county officials said is tied directly to maintaining the office's license. The transcript did not specify who will be responsible for recruiting or appointing the director, nor did it give an effective hire date.

The salary board approved the measure as part of a broader set of 2025 salary approvals for county offices.