Several Carbon County row officers spoke out about motions put on the February salary board agenda. The new motions would negate amended motions giving several employees raises above those approved on Jan. 3 and 4.

During the monthly salary board meeting on Thursday, the board asked row officers who made amended motions above what had been budgeted to read motions reflecting the exhibits already approved.

Some row officers said they did not want to make the motions, while all agreed that they were not in favor of them and asked that their statements be reflected in the minutes.

Prothonotary Kayla Semmel voiced her concerns over the motions. She was asked to change the rate of her clerk/PFAD coordinator from $14.33 per hour back to the exhibit hourly wage of $13.99.

“We as elected officials and department heads have been suppressed and intentionally left out of county business that directly impacts our employees and our offices,” Semmel said. “Resignations are given daily and dedicated, hardworking and knowledgeable employees are leaving this county not only because of the funds issue, but because of its blatant lack of appreciation.”

She said the motion at the annual salary board was to set positions and salaries of the prothonotary’s office from exhibit R5.

“Those motions were passed and funded. I then made an alternate motion as it pertained to my PFA coordinator position because it wasn’t upgraded appropriately. That motion passed but was not funded by the board of commissioners. Therefore, this employee’s salary should revert back to the rate that was passed and funded.”

Semmel added that on Jan. 12, she received an email from the director of human resources confirming that and noted that she will not make this motion because “our employees deserve better.”

“I will not make a motion to pay somebody less than what I think they deserve and if the board is choosing not to fund that minimal increase, that is your decision. Again, it demonstrates the lack of appreciation of these hardworking individuals.”

Like Semmel, Recorder of Deeds Donna Gentile also questioned the matter.

She said that her alternate motions that provided her first and second deputies with 2.5% increases above what was approved on exhibit R7, were not funded by the commissioners.

She was also told that the salaries then revert back to the approved exhibit, so she questioned why she needed to make these motions

Commissioner Rocky Ahner summed it up as creating a paper trail because in the future, if someone looks at the minutes of January’s meeting, but not February’s meeting, a discrepancy may occur with what the actual salary should be for that position.

Gentile asked that if it was a paper trail, why didn’t the commissioners require the row officers to do this after a 6% raise was approved at the salary board several months ago and then not funded by the commissioners?

“It just reverted back,” she said.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said that it was a “lesson learned.”

“I don’t think I should have to ask for less money for my people when I already asked for more,” Gentile said. “It’s going to make me look like I’m going back and saying ‘Oh, you know, I don’t want that 2.5% increase for my people.’?”

She added that under the exhibit that was approved, her first deputy will now receive only a 3-cent per hour raise.

Gentile then asked that the minutes reflect that she does not agree with the motions, which she then made for the paper trail purposes.

More disapprovals

Sheriff Dan Zeigler, Public Defender Paul Levy and Treasurer Kevin Zelienka also voiced their disapproval of the motions before making them in hopes of furthering the conversation down the road to hopefully correct the matter.

“It’s been a frustrating and confusing process,” Zeigler said. “I’m sure everybody would agree to that. I’ll make these motions accepting that they go back to exhibit R10. I don’t agree with it, but I gotta get my people something instead of nothing. Hopefully the appeals process will allow us to further discuss where people fit.”

The positions that now revert back to the approved hourly wages on Exhibit R include:

• Prothonotary: Clerk/PFAD coordinator, from $14.33 per hour to $13.99 per hour.

• Public defender: Assistant public defender, from $38,956.24 per year to $38,192.40 per year.

• Recorder of deeds: First deputy, from $26.82 per hour to $26.16 per hour; and second deputy, from $23.18 per hour to $22.61 per hour.

• Sheriff: chief real estate clerk, from $17.01 per hour to $18.29 per hour; administrative assistant, from $15.06 per hour to $14.33 per hour; civil process clerk, from $14.34 per hour to $13.65 per hour; special deputy trainee, from $17.44 per hour to $15.80 per hour; and two part-time security officers from $15.06 per hour to $14.33 per hour.

• Treasurer: Second deputy, from $17.89 per hour to $17.45 per hour.

In addition, one position proposed by Controller Mark Sverchek for his fiscal/data processing specialist was denied raises in two motions.

The first motion that would have increased the salary from $14.69 per hour to $15.43 per hour failed in a 2-2 tie with Sverchek and Commissioner Wayne Nothstein voting in favor, while Lukasevich and Ahner voting against the change. A second motion for $15.06 per hour also failed 2-2.

The board then said an appeals process is being developed and will hopefully be implemented in March.