Two men are in custody after city police say they found them in possession of cocaine, heroin and marijuana Monday afternoon.

David Potter, 22, 903 Cedar Ave. , Scranton and Joseph Williams, 24, 2610 S. Main St. , Wilkes-Barre, each face drug charges after a traffic stop on the 300 block of East Gibson Street about 4:10 p.m. Officers found syringes, suspected heroin and a bag of suspected cocaine on Mr. Potter, according to court documents.

Both men are held in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $50,000 each. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Oct. 27.

— CLAYTON OVER

A biomass pellet processing facility is ready to be assembled outside Moscow next spring, bringing 10 new jobs and a new product for home heating, animal bedding and mulch.

Moscow farmer Larry Hartpence recently purchased the equipment from Enviro Energy in Wells Bridge, New York, and has it stowed on his farm on Madisonsville Road with plans to assemble it in the spring. The facility will produce two tons of pellets per hour.

“There is no question about working and no question about us selling it,” Mr. Hartpence said.

Mr. Hartpence is uniquely situated to take on such a new project. He has 150 plantable acres on his farm. He imported and cultivated a fast-growing grass, Miscanthus giganteus, which shoots to a towering 15-feet,the biomass he will use to produce pellets. He’ll also purchase excess hay bales from area farmers to pelletize, of which there is a surplus. He’s thinking about turning invasive plants, like the notorious Japanese knotweed, into useful heating pellets.

The owner of All-Shred, a document shredding company, Mr. Hartpence dabbled into turning paper unsalable to mills into briquettes that he used as heating fuel.

Earlier this year, when the Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation & Development Council did a demonstration of small scale with a pelletizer that connects to a tractor transmission, Mr. Hartpence was sold. While the demonstration focused on the fast-growing switchgrass, the process works on any biomass — from sawdust and sunflowers.

Mr. Hartpence is one of the founding members of the Association of Warm Season Grass Producers. Mr. Hartpence knew he could find something that grew faster and denser and imported Miscanthus giganteus from Europe. It must be planted by rhizome (a piece of the root) rather than seed Mr. Hartpence had to develop a process for it. Harvesting the 15-foot plant is a two-step process, but New Holland may be developing equipment to do such a job.

The granddad of grass pelletizing in the region is Will Brandeau, of Wapwallopen, a former computer executive who took on a large farm more than a decade ago. He thought he could make fuel, rather than food, from the somewhat marginal land and researched turning grasses into fuel pellets, a common practice in Europe.

There’s some caveats. The pelletizer will only operate with moisture levels between 8 and 15 percent, a level that appears very dry to air and touch. The pellets, which create a considerable amount of ash, must be burned in a multi-fuel furnace that accommodates greater ash levels.

Mr. Brandeau pushed the portable pelletizer as a way for farmers to make heating pellets for their own use in the winter, sharing the cost and the benefit. While he didn’t imagine someone making a business out of it, he does anticipate wood pellet costs will increase rapidly.

Switchgrass has other uses, including animal bedding and ground mulch.

Contact the writer:

dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

HARRISBURG — Several House lawmakers want to change how local share gambling money is distributed to municipalities, a potential curve ball to efforts to restore a state slots tax declared unconstitutional.

The comments made Tuesday at a public hearing suggested a looming tug of war between lawmakers representing districts receiving local share money and those from “have-not” districts that don’t receive any local share.

The House Gaming Oversight Committee heard testimony from local officials, including a township supervisor in Monroe County, on what the loss of gambling share money would mean to their budgets and tax rates.

This was the first legislative hearing on the issue since last month’s state Supreme Court ruling that found the way casinos are taxed for local impact assessments is unconstitutional. The court ruled in favor of Mount Airy Casino Resort’s complaint that casinos generating less revenue than others pay a heavier tax burden under the current assessment.

At stake is the distribution of $140 million annually to municipalities in Northeast Pennsylvania and elsewhere near casinos for police and rescue services, economic development and road and sewer projects.

“A loss of Mt. Airy slots revenue to the township would have a devastating impact on our residents,” testified Peter Gonze, supervisor of Paradise Twp. where Mount Airy is located in Monroe County. “Specifically, to make up the loss of $800,000 would require the township to increase local taxes by over 20 mills.”

The state Revenue Department said it will collect the 2017 assessment until Jan. 26, the date the court ruling takes effect.

Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-114, Taylor, urged his colleagues to fix the tax issue in the remaining days of the current legislative session and deal with distribution issues in the new session starting in January.

“Let us solve the problem so the municipalities know what they have,” he said.

Westmoreland County doesn’t receive a local share, yet it borders three counties hosting casinos, said Rep. George Dunbar, R-56, Jeannette, arguing for a redistribution.

Rep. David Parker, R-115, Stroud Twp, said a quick fix is needed. However, he also criticized the current distribution of Mount Airy slot revenue among Monroe County and its surrounding counties. That means municipalities far away from Mount Airy near the New York border are receiving impact money, said Mr. Parker.

“I don’t think the (tax) fix will be the problem as much as the distribution,” said Panel Chairman John Payne, R-106, Hershey; following the debate.

He outlined several scenarios:

■ The Legislature passes a tax fix before it wraps up voting on bills for the two-year session next Wednesday.

■ The tax fix is coupled with an expansion of internet gambling.

■ The tax issue isn’t resolved until next year and the new assessment is made retroactive to Jan. 26, 2017.

Contact the writer:

rswift@timesshamrock.com

Steve Barcoski, Lackawanna County’s budget director whose career spanned 18 county commissioners, retired Tuesday after nearly four decades.

The 62-year-old Moosic native has been a key behind-the-scenes presence at 200 Adams Ave. and was instrumental in developing 36 county budgets as the scope of county operations and spending increased significantly.

“When you can work through seven different boards of commissioners, that really shows he’s a professional,” said Andy Wallace, who was part of the team that hired Mr. Barcoski under Republicans Charles Luger and Robert Pettinato in 1977 and who returned as chief of staff for the new administration.

In an interview Tuesday, Mr. Barcoski, who earns $76,875, said it always came down to rolling up his sleeves, trying to figure out how to balance the budget and minimize property taxes.

After being named budget director in 1980, he encountered his first crisis when a state shortfall held back aid for Children and Family Services, leading to temporary layoffs.

But the most difficult period came in 2003, when Mr. Barcoski recalled “it just hit the fan” during the administration of Democrats Joseph Corcoran and Randy Castellani.

“A lot of things caught up with us,” he said. “We were totally broke. ...Health care went through the roof, increases in salaries, increases in utilities.”

The ensuing Republican administration of Robert C. Cordaro and A.J. Munchak hiked taxes more than 48 percent to fund the 2005 budget but also piled up tens of millions in new debt from building the 911 center and renovating the courthouse.

Mr. Barcoski felt the county started to fix its problems through a series of painful steps under the administration of Democrats Corey O’Brien and Michael Washo — who sold the county nursing home and hiked taxes another 38 percent — then continued its progress when Democrat Jim Wansacz replaced Mr. Washo.

He described telling commissioners his frank opinion, giving them options and allowing elected officials to make the tough choices even though he lost sleep over staffing cuts. He also credited his staff and Chief Financial Officer Thomas Durkin.

“Now it’s fixed,” he said. “We have a surplus. We have a balanced budget — without cutting programs, without laying any more people off since ’09.”

Mr. Durkin described his 13-year colleague and friend as bright and hardworking.

“From the middle of September to the middle of October, he would put in 14-, 15-hour days,” Mr. Durkin said.

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Faculty at 14 Pennsylvania state universities went on strike Wednesday morning, affecting more than 100,000 students, after contract negotiations between the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the faculty union hit an impasse.

The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties announced on its website that its members went on strike at 5 a.m. because no agreement could be reached. The union represents more than 5,000 faculty and coaches across the state, and a walkout was expected to halt classes midsemester.

"We are headed to the picket lines, but even on the picket lines, our phones will be on, should the State System decide it doesn't want to abandon its students," APSCUF President Kenneth M. Mash said in a statement.

Around the state, faculty members walked picket lines in the early morning darkness, chanting and carrying red signs declaring "On Strike."

The state said despite the strike, students should still report to their scheduled classes, unless the university indicates otherwise.

The union said late Tuesday night that the state had presented it its last, best offer and was done negotiating.

State System spokesman Kenn Marshall said they are disappointed the union decided to strike, because they felt they made significant progress toward a settlement overnight.

"We want to get this settled and we need to get it settled on behalf of students," he said Wednesday. "We will do everything we can to get this settled but it takes two. We need cooperation."

No meetings are scheduled, he said.

Mash said Democratic Governor Tom Wolf had urged both sides to reach an agreement overnight.

"He was very clear about that. He personally spoke to both sides and urged us to settle this. I find it shocking that Chancellor Frank Brogan would spit in the governor's eye like that. Through all of this, the governor has been a strong advocate for the students," Mash said.

The state said overnight its latest proposal would provide raises to all permanent and temporary faculty members and a health care package identical to what other system employees have. In an effort to reach an agreement, the state said it withdrew several proposals including one that would have required full-time temporary faculty to teach an additional class each semester.

"By removing many of the more contentious issues from the table, we have demonstrated our willingness to participate in the normal give-and-take of negotiations," Marshall said Tuesday. "We believed it also would show APSCUF our eagerness to achieve a new contract. It is clear from their actions, however, that health care and salaries are the real issues in these negotiations."

Marshall said the sides made significant progress during negotiations, including reaching tentative agreements on more than a dozen significant issues, including distance education, recruitment and retention of high-quality faculty and professional responsibilities outside of the classroom. But he said the union refused both the system's salary offer and the proposed health care changes.

"These are difficult times for our universities. If APSCUF won't agree to share more of the costs for their own health care — like everyone else has — it will threaten our ability to keep tuition affordable for students," Marshall said. "We have made significant progress since Friday, and were hopeful we could get to an agreement by now. It is unfortunate — especially for our students — that we have gotten to this point."

This is the first strike in the system's 34-year history.

The union includes faculty from Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania. State-related schools —Penn State, Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University — are not affected.

The last faculty contract expired June 30, 2015.

DUNMORE — Dunmore police arrested a borough man for beating his fiancée at their home Saturday, police said.

Kelly D Lindner, 44, 1218 E. Drinker St., admitted he hit Shaundra Langille because she would not give him his keys, Officer Joshua Ruddy wrote in a complaint.

Ms. Langille called police at 10:37 p.m. and said “he has been beating me for an hour,” police said. She had red marks on her face and neck.

Mr. Lindner is charged with simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct.

Mr. Lindner was released on $20,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

BLAKELY — A nudist who often left his Blakely home in the buff, much to the dismay of his neighbors, faces criminal charges, borough police said.

Michael P. Setar, 56, 1012 Columbus Ave., is charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness and disorderly conduct.

Neighbors Kristina Kuzmick and Tom and Ethel Dougherty complained to police that Mr. Setar often gets his mail naked and crawls back into his house when spotted. The most recent time was Saturday.

Mr. Setar told Patrolman Michael Shaheen he is a nudist and enjoys the risk of getting caught.

Mr. Setar is free on $20,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Tuesday.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

NY man charged with sex trafficking

SCRANTON ­— A New York man will plead guilty to a federal charge of attempted sex trafficking of a minor.

Adrian Smith, 21, was arrested on Aug. 11, on charges he attempted to entice three minors to engage in sex acts in Scranton between Aug. 9 and 11, according to court records.

Mr. Smith agreed to plead guilty to one count of attempted sex trafficking, according to an agreement filed Tuesday. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, with a potential for a life sentence.

The case stems from an investigation by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from Scranton Police, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

—TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER

SCRANTON — A federal inmate serving time for illegally crossing the border added another 18 month to his sentence for punching a corrections officer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said Wednesday.

Orlando Garcia-Mata, 24, formerly of Texas, admitted he swung a punch at a guard at the United States Penitentiary Canaan in Wayne County on March 22. A grand jury indicted him in April, and U.S. District Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced him Wednesday in Scranton.

Mr. Garcia-Mata already is serving a 46-month sentence for unlawfully entering the country after he was deported. He was sentenced for that charge on Oct. 23, 2014.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

JEFFERSON TWP. — State police are searching for a Jefferson Twp. teenager last seen leaving his family’s home Wednesday morning.

Zechariah Rozell, 15, 31 Stevens Road, left home around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and has not returned or contacted family.

He is approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 120 pounds, and has black hair with blue highlights. He also draws with marker on his arms and legs, police said.

Zechariah was last seen wearing checkered shorts and a white hat, and holding a skateboard.

Anyone with information is asked to call State Police at Dunmore, 570-963-3156.

— JEFF HORVATH

JESSUP — Borough police responded to a minor bus crash this afternoon.

The crash occurred at about 3:15 p.m. on High Street, when a Valley View School District school bus carrying close to 30 students backed into a parked car, borough police Chief Joseph Walsh said.

One student suffered an abrasion and declined medical treatment, Chief Walsh said.

— CLAYTON OVER

SCRANTON — A West Scranton man reported missing earlier tonight has been found, police said.

Jack Sinclair, 76, was last seen at his home on the 1300 block of Luzerne Street at about 5 p.m., city police Lt. Marty Crofton said. He was found on Seventh Avenue about 9:30 p.m.

— CLAYTON OVER

Dunmore School District officials are still working on a new hiring policy for the district, they said at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

The policy comes at the same time the group Education Enlightenment in Lackawanna County, or EdLight for short, asks the district for more transparency.

Tony Cantafio, one of the group’s members, asked on Wednesday that the district start posting its meeting agendas online. Mr. Cantafio, and anyone else, is welcome to attend work sessions — held the Monday before a meeting — to learn what will be on the agenda, board President Michael Hallinan said.

A Wayne County judge denied Wednesday the request from a 17-year-old defendant accused of stabbing and raping an 83-year-old woman to move his case to juvenile court.

On Sept. 24, 2015, Azaiah Tahir Williams, 791 Country Place Drive, Coolbaugh Twp., knocked on the victim’s door in Dreher Twp. and let himself in. He then stabbed the woman multiple times with a steak knife, took her credit card and raped her, state police said.

The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Investigators charged Mr. Williams, who was 15 at the time of his arrest, with attempted homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and theft.

After more than five hours of testimony Wednesday, Judge Raymond Hamill ruled the defendant will be tried as an adult.

The victim, now 84, recovered from the stabbing but did not attend the hearing, District Attorney Janine Edwards said.

“She deserved the result that the judge reached today,” Ms. Edwards said.

Richard Henry, a Wayne County assistant public defender, represented Mr. Williams.

Experts for the defense and the prosecution both testified on whether the defendant was amenable to treatment in the juvenile system, which can only keep an offender incarcerated until the age of 21. Mr. Williams will face more prison time should he be convicted of his crimes in adult court.

His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 9.

Contact the writer:

pcameron@timesshamrock.com, @pcameronTT on Twitter

After serving Midvalley customers for 66 years, Butash Pharmacy in Throop will close this weekend.

The pharmacy, which opened on Easter Monday in 1950 and has also served as a village post office in Throop for the past six decades, will close for the final time Saturday, owner Paul Butash said.

Mr. Butash cited personal reasons and “various business factors” for the pharmacy’s closure.

“It’s time, personally, to do a little semi-retirement and spend some time with the grandchildren,” Mr. Butash said.

Price Chopper bought out the pharmacy. Mr. Butash was offered a part-time pharmacist position at the Price Chopper in Dunmore.

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Richard Frank and Sierra Marie Bukowski, both of Old Forge.

■ Allen William Jones and Ma Rona Medina Felerino, both of Clarks Summit.

■ Gage A. Mettin, Falls, and Amber L. Veety, Scranton.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Raymond V. and Elena Fauerbach, both of Archbald, to Christopher and Stephanie Goldyn, both of Scranton; a property in Archbald, for $162,500.

■ Kristopher Edward Boynosky, Minneapolis, administrator CTA, and Robin Ann Boynosky, Oakland, Calif., administratrix CTA, of the estate of Edward C. Boynosky, to Beth Ann Willert, Basking Ridge, N.J.; a property at Lake Spangenberg, Jefferson Twp., for $170,000.

■ Hilary L. Kane, now by marriage Hilary L. Kane Lyle, and Justin Lyle, South Abington Twp., to Patrick and Stephanie Mulhall, South Abington Twp.; a property at 303 Leach Hill Road, South Abington Twp., for $205,000.

■ Patricia Lawler, Clarks Summit, to Lenora J. Cunningham, Waverly Twp.; two parcels at 807 Ash St., Clarks Summit, for $149,000.

■ Caliber Real Estate Services LLC, attorney-in-fact for LSF9 Master Participation Trust, Irving, Texas, to Jerry Vail Jr., Old Forge; two parcels at 331 N. Main St., Old Forge, for $43,000.

■ William Edward and Patricia T. Walker to James Stuenzi and Solid Rock REI LLC; a property in Benton Twp., for $70,000.

■ KML Law Group P.C., attorney-in-fact for Fannie Mae, also known as Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas, to John Roy Thompson II; a property at 114 Carol Drive, Clarks Summit, for $89,500.

■ Dustin T. Bernandini and Kristen Chiodo, Alburtis, to Jeffrey and Joan Mikloiche, Clifford Twp.; a property at 525 Hickory St., Blakely, for $115,000.

■ McCabe Weisberg & Conway P.C., attorney-in-fact for Fannie Mae, also known as Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas, to Rafael Acosta-Gomez; a property at 1740 Monroe Ave., Dunmore, for $72,000.

LAWSUIT

■ James M. and Franny P. Paolucci, 1585 Layton Road, Scott Twp., v. Gerald F. Hawk Jr., 1959 Dalton Road, Factoryville, and Mid-Valley Contracting Services Inc., 1508 E. Lackawanna St., Olyphant, seeking in excess of the mandatory arbitrational jurisdictional limits of the court on four counts, for injuries suffered Oct. 19, 2015, when Mr. Paolucci was caused to fall on Silver Maple Drive, Scott Twp., after almost being struck by the defendants’ truck; Ryan P. Campbell, attorney.

ESTATES FILED

■ Dolores Hall, 108 Terrace Drive, Blakely, letters testamentary to Sheryll Mihalich, 220 Cherry St., Jessup.

■ Dorothy Kuniegel, 777 Cortez Road, Jefferson Twp., letters of administration to Ronald Kuniegel, 1735 Church Ave., Scranton, and Jeff Kuniegel, 10 Fawn Ridge Court, White Haven.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

In the minutes before moderator Chris Wallace introduced the candidates Wednesday night, six Scranton High School students speculated on what the third and final presidential debate would bring.

All agreed that each candidate would be grilled on the scandals that have beset their respective campaigns, from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s emails and the recent Wikileaks releases to the string of sexual assault allegations leveled against Republican nominee Donald Trump.

At the end of the debate, students Stephanie O’Malley, Terese Loughman, Alex Schaefer, Darren Pitts, Jack Kelly and Jillian Petroski — all seniors and members of the school’s Political Science Club — said Mrs. Clinton came out on top.

The students came to the Scranton Times Building on Wednesday to watch the debate with a Times-Tribune reporter.

Mr. Wallace started the night by asking about the Supreme Court. Mr. Trump began his answer by criticizing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which Mr. Kelly said was “off topic.”

“The question was about the purpose of the court,” he said. “You don’t attack someone who is on the bench already. You aren’t going to get anything out of it.”

Mr. Trump later doubled down on promises that his court appointees would defend the Second Amendment and be anti-abortion.

As the questions shifted to immigration, Ms. Loughman saw a contradiction in Mrs. Clinton’s claim that she supported border security as a senator.

“Previously she said we should be a no-border nation,” said Ms. Loughman, referencing an excerpt from a Wikileaks-released private speech. “And now she says ‘I support borders.’ It’s just kind of contradicting.”

Halfway through the debate, Mr. Schaefer said Mrs. Clinton was attacking more. Ms. O’Malley gave Mrs. Clinton the edge.

“(Trump) is saying a lot of ridiculous things. Like blaming Obama for things,” she said. “If he really wants to win he needs to be more open about his plans.”

Just under an hour into the debate, Mr. Wallace asked Mr. Trump about the sexual assault charges made against him, which Mr. Trump said have been “debunked.”

Nonetheless, the group saw it as one of Mr. Trump’s weaker moments. They laughed when Mr. Trump said: “No one has more respect for women than I do.”

“She’s standing on a moral mountain and he’s there (and) doesn’t know what to do with himself,” Mr. Kelly said during the exchange.

Mr. Wallace then questioned Mrs. Clinton on allegations that Clinton Foundation donors bought State Department access with large donations.

Several in the group saw her answer, where she lauded the foundation’s work, as a deflection. “This is another rehearsed answer,” Ms. Petroski said.

Overall, four of the six students said Wednesday’s was Mr. Trump’s best debate, but none of them felt it was enough to pull him even with Mrs. Clinton in the polls.

All six of students felt that Mrs. Clinton won the debate.

“She used fact, reason, and gave real answers,” said Mr. Kelly. “He just prayed on fear, threw stuff against the wall and hoped it would stick.”

How they saw it

Name: Stephanie O’Malley

Age: 17

Winner: Hillary Clinton

“She seemed to have more plans and knew what was going on. Trump was just making stuff up as he went along. He never knew real answers to anything.”

Name: Terese Loughman

Age: 18

Winner: Hillary Clinton, “not by a large margin.”

“I guess she did win because she had more details ... but I don’t think it was by a large margin like the first (debate), where you could tell she was more prepared than him.”

Name: Alex Schaefer

Age: 17

Winner: Hillary Clinton

“We already know that we have a seasoned politician with flaws. More flaws than the average politician. But we have another person that says a lot of hateful things and hate speech.”

Name: Darren Pitts

Age: 18

Winner: Hillary Clinton

“Trump seemed to do a better job (than in previous debates). ... But I think she looked very presidential, professional, and she did a good job explaining her position on some of the issues. I think she did a significantly better job than Trump did.”

Name: Jack Kelly

Age: 17

Winner: Hillary Clinton

“She used fact, reason and ... gave real answers. She addressed issues. He just preyed on fear, threw stuff against the wall and hoped it’d stick. It’s very obvious who the correct candidate is to lead our country.”

Name: Jillian Petroski

Age: 17

Winner: Hillary Clinton

“I think Hillary won 100 percent. It’s come down to the fact that, in every debate, she has plans and details. He just keeps skirting around the questions. ... No living president is supporting him or voting for him. I think that says a lot.”

— JEFF HORVATH

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com,

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

The plan to convert the former Globe Store into the Lackawanna County Government Center now has funding.

County commissioners Wednesday approved borrowing up to $17 million from a consortium of local banks, led by Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank, to finance retrofitting a building that once housed the iconic downtown Scranton department store.

Fidelity’s written proposal to the county estimates an interest rate of 2.75 percent for the first three years of the project, with the rate increasing 0.25 percent each ensuing four-year period, until it reaches 3.75 percent from year 17 until the debt matures in December 2041.

If the county sticks to the proposed payback plan over the next 25 years, interest payments would total $8.22 million on top of the $17 million principal, a debt service schedule estimates.

Financial consultant Michael Vind told commissioners the plan is to close on the bank note Dec. 1, but in the meantime, lenders were holding interest rates to the proposal.

Mr. Vind highlighted other benefits of the arrangement, describing the deal as a “drawdown loan” that would allow the county to borrow money as needed to lower interest payments, rather than take it all as a lump sum out of the gate.

The deal also allows the county to make additional payments against the principal and to refinance the debt if interest rates improve, Mr. Vind added, describing the proposal as the best the county can do with current interest rates.

“This has been vetted for either bond or bank loan,” Democratic Commissioner Patrick O’Malley said. “I’ve never seen another issue being vetted this long, but I think it’s well worth what we’re going to have in the end.”

Fellow Democrat Jerry Notarianni reiterated he is against the project — he has repeatedly said he doesn’t believe the administration vetted the plan carefully enough — but he did support using banks to finance construction instead of a less-flexible bond.

“I thought the bank issue was a better deal, No. 1,” Mr. Notarianni explained. “No. 2: If we don’t draw that money down, if we don’t use it, we don’t pay anything back — interest or principal. ... There’s still hope that something may happen where they decide this isn’t in the best interest of (the county).”

If all goes as planned, getting out of leases at eight offices scattered throughout the county and using money previously dedicated to $1.41 million annually spent on rent and utility bills will save $122,734 per year, the administration estimated earlier this year.

Mr. O’Malley envisions the consolidation saving money, providing one location for most county government functions and reviving the 100 block of Wyoming Avenue around the 255,964-square-foot building.

Commissioners previously agreed in a 2-1 vote, with Mr. Notarianni dissenting, to use $1.3 million from economic development reserves to buy the building and will later decide whether to reimburse the fund.

Commissioners also unanimously awarded a $38,000 contract to fiber-optic network engineering and installation firm SWG of Olyphant to connect the county’s telecommunications to the Globe building.

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday announced the first public hearing on the tentative 2017 budget and said three more meetings will be solidified soon.

The first budget hearing will be 11 a.m. Monday at the commissioners conference room at the county Administration Building.

“Our additional three public hearings will be in our boroughs and townships around the county,” said Andy Wallace, chief of staff to the commissioners. “(They) are being confirmed with the boroughs and towns at this time and they will be announced ... as soon as we get them confirmed.”

Commissioners also appointed Dunmore resident James Burne Jr. to the Northeast Regional Railroad Authority through Jan. 4, 2018, and Taylor resident Steve Armillay to the Lackawanna County Stadium Authority through Dec. 31, 2020. Commissioner Jerry Notarianni abstained on the vote for Mr. Armillay.

The salary board also authorized some compensation and title changes, including:

• A one-time additional stipend of $3,000 for Brian Jeffers, director of community corrections, for acting as interim director of the juvenile detention center from June 1 through Sept. 6 after Tim Betti became warden of Lackawanna County Prison. Mary Keller took the job in September.

• Creating the new position of GIS specialist analyst, special assessments teams leader, at a salary of $44,000 at the Lackawanna County office of assessment and appeals.

John Foley, deputy director of appraisals, said promoting an existing GIS mapper to the job while eliminating the assistant director at the office will save the county about $52,000 per year.

• Changing two titles at the clerk of judicial records office. The chief clerk will now be called deputy of criminal court. Also, officials renamed an administrative assistant position as deputy of civil and family courts at a salary of $45,000. The move led to a vigorous discussion about how to set wages for deputies at row offices.

The Scranton Redevelopment Authority approved easements Wednesday for eight properties requested by the Scranton Sewer Authority as part of the pending sale of the sewer system to a water company.

The sewer authority seeks easements from hundreds of property owners before a sale of the sewer system to Pennsylvania American Water Co. closes, potentially by the end of the month.

While the state Public Utility Commission conditionally approved the sewer sale on Oct. 6, a PUC order filed Wednesday gives the water firm and sewer authority up to 10 days to file an amended purchase agreement reflecting the PUC’s requirements.

In preparing for the sale’s transfer of sewer assets, the sewer authority discovered earlier this year inexplicable gaps in easements for sewer lines running under 600 private properties.

The authority sent letters to homeowners in the summer offering $100 per easement to expedite the process, or the authority would have to pursue condemnation. Those processes are underway.

“We are required to basically inventory all of the easements that we currently have with the sewer lines and that are impacted by the sale,” sewer authority Executive Director Eugene Barrett told the SRA. “What we’ve discovered is that multiple lines across the service area in Dunmore and Scranton aren’t under easement.”

Eight such properties in Scranton that don’t have easements involve the redevelopment authority, on Mount Vernon, Lackawanna, Union and Richter avenues, and Hickory, Beech, Dorothy and Ash streets, sewer authority officials explained.

The redevelopment authority voted 4-0 — with Chairman Joseph Healey and Robert Timlin, Mario Savinelli and Gene Teserovitch all in favor — on motions to approve the easements.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter