In addition to raises for Carbon County employees for 2021, officials approved a few new positions within various departments during the annual salary board meeting on Monday.

Prothonotary

Kayla Semmel, county prothonotary, requested establishing one part-time clerical assistant at $11.16 per hour. This position is excluded from the retirement fund because the person isn’t anticipated to work 1,000 hours annually.

Before the vote, Commissioner Chris Lukasevich thanked Semmel for the information she provided the board prior to the meeting and asked if this position could be a term position or if it has to be permanent.

Semmel said that she needs it to be permanent because the projected caseload is expected to increase over the next several years.

“We were hit pretty hard with cases,” Semmel said. “We averaged just under 6,000 new cases, as well as working on our cases currently active. I anticipate it to be at that number, if not higher, in the coming years because we are getting inundated with judgments, writs of execution and mortgage foreclosures. All those things are being lifted by the governor so we anticipate it to stay at that number if not increase.

“I firmly believe that this office is well overdue, at least a part-time staffer if not a full-time staffer,” Semmel added. “I’m willing to work with a permanent part-time staffer. I think this office needs a permanent part-time position added.”

The salary board then granted her request unanimously.

The board also approved Semmel’s request to abolish the position of one temporary part-time clerical assistant at $10.84 per hour.

Elections

The salary board established the position of an assistant director for the bureau of elections at $16.30 per hour, effective Jan. 4, 2021, through Jan. 5, 2024.

The motion passed unanimously.

Prior to the vote, the board weighed in on the matter.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner said that the position will provide someone who could run the elections office if the director is out and hoped that this move helps that office become more self-sufficient.

“This job is warranted,” he said, adding that the county also hopes this will help eliminate unnecessary overtime during election seasons.

During the 2020 elections, Carbon County utilized three part-time staff and eight full-time employees to go and help the elections bureau complete all the necessary duties required for each election.

Those extra hours totaled 806.75 hours at a cost of $8,935.80 in part-time overtime; as well as 1,267 hours at a cost of $27,666.24 in full-time overtime.

Controller Mark Sverchek suggested maybe creating a broader pool of potential helpers, such as from the part-time staff, to further help cut down on overtime costs in the future.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich agreed with his colleague, noting that “time is of the essence for this position” because of the primary election season beginning next month.

Other new positions

In addition to new positions in the prothonotary and elections departments, the following positions were established.

• District Attorney: one victim/witness coordinator at $13.84 per hour.

• Animal Shelter: One K-9 officer at $11.49 per hour.

• Communications Center: One 911 assistant manager-addressing coordinator at $23.23 per hour.

• Information Technology: One IT system administrator at $26.43 per hour with an additional $1,000 per primary and general election; one IT specialist/social media technician at $15.88 per hour.

• Establish the position of one part-time veterans service officer at $12.55 per hour.

Other actions

The county salary board also approved the following changes in several departments. All actions are effective Jan. 1 unless otherwise noted.

• District Attorney: Abolish the position of two part-time victim/witness coordinators at $13.84 per hour, effective Jan. 4.

• Register of wills: Change the rate of one first deputy from $17.28 per hour to $17.80 per hour; change the rate of one second deputy from $12.55 per hour to $12.93 per hour, both effective Jan. 6.

• Animal Shelter: Change the rate of two part-time K-9 officers from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of one part-time K-9 officer from $10.63 per hour to $11.49 per hour; abolish the position of two part-time K-9 officers.

• Archives: Change the rate of three part-time clerks from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour.

• Area Agency on Aging: Change the rate of one aging care manager II from $15.26 per hour to $15.72, effective Jan. 2; change the rate of one part-time senior center operator I from $11.38 per hour to $11.72 per hour, effective Jan. 20.

• Buildings and grounds: Change the rate of one part-time cleaning person from $10.94 per hour to $11.49 per hour; change the rate of two part-time cleaning people from $10.63 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of one part-time cleaning person from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of three substitute part-time cleaning people from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour.

• Children and youth: Change the rate of two county caseworkers I from $14.53 per hour to $14.97 per hour, effective Jan. 6.

• Commissioners office: Change the rate of one administrator/chief clerk from $45.06 per hour to $46.42 per hour; change the rate of one executive secretary/open records officer from $14.97 per hour to $15.42 per hour, effective Jan. 7; change the rate of one parking/meter attendant from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of two part-time parking/meter attendants from $10.94 per hour to $11.49 per hour; change the rate of three part-time parking/meter attendants from $10.63 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of two part-time parking/meter attendants from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of two part-time parking attendants from $12.31 to $12.93 per hour; change the rate of one part-time parking attendant from $10.94 to $11.49 per hour.

• Communications Center: Abolish the position of one 911 addressing coordinator at $21.52 per hour.

• Corrections: Change the rate of one part-time corrections officer from $11.95 per hour to $12.31 per hour, effective Jan. 6.

• Elections: Change the rate of three part-time election clerks from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour; abolish the position of one part-time election clerk at $10.32 per hour.

• Human resources: Change the rate of one human resources assistant from $14.84 per hour to $15.88 per hour.

• Information Technology: Abolish the positions of one IT system analyst at $25.17 per hour and one IT specialist at $14.97 per hour.

• Parks: Change the rate of seasonal park ranger II from $13.45 per hour to $14.13 per hour; change the rate of two seasonal park rangers II from $10.94 per hour to $11.49 per hour; change the rate of two seasonal park rangers II from $10.63 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of five seasonal park rangers II from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of one temporary seasonal park ranger II from $10.63 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of two seasonal park maintenance from $10.63 per hour to $11.16 per hour; change the rate of one seasonal park maintenance from $10.32 per hour to $11.16 per hour.

• Veterans Affairs: Change the rate of one veterans specialist from $13.72 per hour to $14.13 per hour.