Three members of the Luzerne County Government Study Commission want the commission to have its own bank account. Other commission members disagree, as do county Manager Romilda Crocamo and some members of county council. The disagreement became public at Tuesday's council meeting, at which council introduced a budget ordinance to transfer $75,000 from the reserve fund to fund the operations of the study commission, which plans to hire a solicitor, a consultant and a clerk.
The ordinance, which will require final approval from council at a subsequent meeting following a public hearing, does not include a provision to give the commission its own bank account. The commission will need to submit bills and invoices to the county for payment. 'Reeks of corruption' The dispute intensified Wednesday, when commission members Cindy Malkemes, Vito Malacari and Mark Shaffer issued a statement that said council's refusal to provide the commission with its own bank account “reeks of the very corruption the voters sought to combat” when they approved the formation of the commission and elected seven commission members in the April 23 primary.
Having its own bank account is vital to maintain the commission's independence from county government, Malkemes, Malacari and Shaffer said. The previous government study commission, which met in 2009-10 and recommended the county adopt a home rule charter, had its own bank account, Malkemes said. County Manager Romilda Crocamo said Tuesday that if council writes a check to the commission for $75,000 to fund a bank account, the county will have no way to account for the money.
That could pose problems during an audit of taxpayer funds, she said. On Wednesday, commission members Tim McGinley, Ted Ritsick and Matt Mitchell said they did not agree with their colleagues and criticized the strong language used in their statement. According to the statement, council's refusal to allow the commission access to its own bank account perpetuates "a culture of control and manipulation that has plagued our county for far too long.
” Individual members of the commission are prepared to take legal action if needed to secure the commission's independence, the statement continues. Mitchell said the statement “is bizarre, does not represent the views of the full commission and reeks of an attempt to politicize an apolitical commission.” Ritsick said he finds the statement to be highly misleading “as it alleges interference and corruption where there is none.
” The commission “needs to focus on meaningful improvements to the ...
charter, not making politicized attacks on county council based on a lack of knowledge of basic budgeting procedures,” Ritsick said. McGinley said he favors placing the financial accounting process in the hands of the county, to provide accountability. The issue of a separate bank account had not featured in discussion at recent commission meetings.
Malkemes, the commission's treasurer, said she and other commission members assumed they would have access to a separate bank account, since that was the procedure for the 2009-10 study commission. It was not till the agenda for Tuesday's council meeting was posted that commission members realized that might not be the case, she said. Even after that, Malkemes said she thought council would agree the commission should have a separate account to maintain its independence.
“How can we say we are apart from the county if we are beholden to them?” she said. Malkemes said she plans to attend council's Aug. 27 meeting to again make her case in person.
Council might vote on the ordinance related to the commission's budget that night. Rick Morelli, treasurer of the study commission that recommended home rule 14 years ago, said that commission had its own bank account but had to get approval for expenditures from the county commissioners — the three-member body in charge of many county government functions before home rule took effect. Morelli said he did not recall much controversy over the commission's bank account or the need to get approval from county commissioners.
The study commission is reviewing the county's governance structure. It convened in late May and will likely continue to meet through next year. The commission might recommend amendments to the existing charter or the adoption of a new charter.
Any suggested changes would require voter approval at a subsequent election..
