A resident told the Lackawanna County Salary Board that formal performance evaluations should be reinstated so that merit can influence pay increases, saying that without evaluations "those who exceed expectations get rewarded accordingly" and that the county should not give the same raises to underperforming employees.

The commenter (Speaker 5) asked whether all county employees receive periodic performance evaluations and urged a system of clear expectations and two-way supervisor-employee conversations. "I would like to see those people who exceed expectations get rewarded accordingly," the commenter said, describing the administrative burden of evaluations but urging their return to protect taxpayer value and employee accountability.

Speaker 11, the controller, responded that while a formal county-wide evaluation program may not be in place, department heads "always" look at their staff and that positions are under regular review within departments. Speaker 4 said the commissioners and the new HR director would discuss the possibility of resuming evaluations and talk with role officers.

The public exchange clarified that union contract raises still must come before the salary board for approval even if negotiated separately. The board did not adopt any formal county-wide evaluation policy during the meeting; officials said the topic would be discussed further with HR and department leaders next year.