Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Oh, is there anything here for the planet to meet?

MEETING ANNOUNCED. OKAY. SO PLANNING IS BACK THERE IF YOU'RE HERE FOR A PLANNING MEETING.

Good evening. I almost got ready to say good morning. Good evening, Commissioners. Chris Miloski, Norwegian Township. I ask that you refrain from any interruptions until after my three minutes. Tonight, under the Finance Office, you're being asked to approve a supplemental budget appropriations resolution 2026-20 for $714,230 with immediate approval requested. My question is simple. Immediate approval of what? The agenda gives the public a resolution number and a dollar amount. It doesn't tell us what department receives the money, where the $714,230 comes from. accounts are affected and uh what is being what is being used for or why immediate approval is necessary yes i understand that the additional printed documents uh may be available outside the boardroom doors and i appreciate that more that more information is being provided there uh but that's too late public comment is number two the appropriation is item number 10. How is the taxpayer supposed to receive these documents upon arriving here, research a $714,230 budget action, understand the source and use of those funds, and prepare meaningful public comment before this board votes? I looked at how other Pennsylvania public bodies handle this. Berks County, for instance, identifies budget transfers and supplemental appropriations and references the underlying detailed listings so that public has substantially more information about the financial action being considered. Blue Mountain School District demonstrates another simple solution, their electronic agendas, and they provide hyperlinks to supporting documentation. I'm not asking Schuylkill County to print another 100 pages. I'm just asking for you to use the website. When an agenda says Resolution 2026-20, make it clickable, attach the resolution, attach the supplemental appropriation schedule, show the funding source, department account, and purpose. Keep the printed agenda concise for people who want the paper copies, but give taxpayers reviewing the electronic agenda the access to supporting information before they walk through the doors here at the courthouse. And commissioners, the words immediate approval requested make this even more important. If you're asking for an immediate approval of almost three quarters of a million dollars, then taxpayers should immediately have access to the information explaining that $714,230. The Sunshine Act is supposed to facilitate public awareness and participate in government, not merely tell us that a vote is going to happen. Therefore, I'm respectfully asking the board to table that resolution tonight for 2026-20 until the complete supplemental appropriations information can be made public and available to the taxpayers that have reasonable opportunity to review it. This isn't an unreasonable request. Its transparency, $714,230, I'm sorry, $714,230 deserves more explanation than one item on an agenda. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Any other poll comments?

Good evening commissioners. So I've got a complaint and on another matter I've got an offer. I'm shocked that my right to no request for the Amazon nondisclosure agreement is being held up for a legal opinion, given that Amazon and its proxy acquired the land at the end of May 2025. and that none of the officials I asked could or would tell me when this NDA was signed with a date. And I still can't find Amazon on the parcel locator. Now, as far as the offer, our county election bureau is one of just a few in Pennsylvania that doesn't inform people of deficiencies in their mail and ballots until election day. Before that, they get a misleading message that the ballot was received and virtually no notice that their vote won't count unless they cast a provisional ballot. I've spoken with Al Vukosky of the election bureau, and I researched the matter elsewhere. It's very clear that our election bureau is not following state guidance, that the barcode on the return envelope must be scanned, and the code entered into the state sure system must reflect accurate information about the status of the ballot. If the ballot return package contains an error that would prevent the ballot from being counted, the voter should be notified, the state says. Use of the proper ballot code is sufficient to meet that obligation. I know that this is guidance and not a mandate, but the county should do better, as Lebanon County did. They... recently agreed to do so by paying someone to separate the deficient ballots from the ones that are okay as they come in so staffers can just put in a code to inform the voters that they could still vote provisionally. The state not only says this is not pre-canvassing, it encourages election bureaus to do it. If the county can't afford to hire someone, Several friends of mine and I are willing to do the task at no charge in the office when ballots start arriving. Of course, it would be up to the staff to enter the codes for those ballots. I know the Bureau has used volunteers to help out in the past and they took an oath to handle ballots responsibly and honestly. We take that oath and we would honor it. We strongly believe that every vote should count and that if there's a way for someone to correct a mistake, And is there anybody who hasn't made a mistake sometime? They should be able to. Thank you.

Thank you. All right.

Hey, Steve Moyer, Mechanicsville. Hey, are you 3 members of the SEDCO, Schuylkill County Economic Development Corporation?

No, we're not. We're not.

You don't have nothing to do with it?

We're not. We get invited to their meetings. It's not when they have meetings and stuff, but we're not that much of a subject.

Well, I know Representative Twarzik's on it. And the only reason I bring that up is because last December, and this is a new point, you know, we were told sick pride, you know, it's not a done deal on the ICE Center. And then I see three names at the bottom of said code, members. And I know Twarczyk is because he was just at a meeting where he brought that up. And I would have saved us a lot of grief about that ICE Center. And you know, you have a lady here from the company and a lawyer that's building the Vine Township. I did what she said, and we went out to ask questions, and the guy threw me out of the planning commission. Very disrespectful. But my question for you is, why would you have to sign an NDA for that? You have no idea? Well, you couldn't have disapproved that if you wanted to, correct? That was only a township that could have done that.

We have no control. Planning and selling. My township has their own planning and selling. We have nothing to do with their selling.

So why was there a need for the NDA?

I believe it was just to protect the May and Amazon. That's all I see.

Well, you know, I'm going to say this again. I don't care if it's a township, a borough, a city, a county, a state, a federal politician. The super majority of you folks, not all, are beholden to the business interest of this county instead of us. It used to be you were for the people. Now everything's for the business. I mean, if you sign an NDA that you want to talk about the prime time zone, when you had that lady here talking, Commissioner Bedard, what's that about? What do you think we think these are doing?

I don't understand the question.

Okay, why would you send an NDA if you have nothing to do with it? Why would you and me as an average person, you hold back on that?

Because we put in there that it was subject to right to know the president. We put that clause in there and we signed them. All three commissioners signed them. And it's the only company that ever asked us to sign one. And by advice of our council, they said it was okay to sign it because nothing was being discussed. And this was way before... And then once they announced it, that it was Amazon, then the NDA was null and void.

Yeah, well, you know, for us, you know, that doesn't look good. It doesn't look good. Oh, I know I have my three minutes, but I just want to say this about big business in our country. I went up my hill yesterday and A-plus was $4.29. I came home at 8 o'clock last night, went up the hill at 4.19. I came down this morning to deliver meals. It was 4.59. Now, if you people don't think the corporations are screwing us, you know, you're out of your mind. And that's what bothers me about the politicians. You know what I mean? And that's all you do.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you.

Joe Wiscount-Tremont, all elections are job interviews. We, the voters, are now the hiring committee and the job we're filling is Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional District. an incredibly important position. The candidate we choose to hire will be representing us, our families, our local communities. The person whom we elect will be speaking and advocating for our issues and addressing our concerns. Ask yourselves a simple question. What does it say about a candidate who refuses to show up for the job interview? Won't debate. Dan Musers held this seat for years. He knows the drill. He knows that debates are where voters get to see candidates side by side, unfiltered, not through negative 30-second scare ads whose sole attempt is distracting from what's really important in our everyday lives. Rising gas prices, which were mentioned, medical costs, persistent inflation, and right now the cost of heating your home this winter. Scoogle Haven today on Facebook, $5.69 a gallon for heating oil. and it's going up. It's really concerning because our most vulnerable in this county, our elderly, are going to have great difficulty heating their homes this winter because it's not going down anytime soon. Debates would offer an opportunity to address concerns such as these. Debates offer voters an opportunity to observe candidates defend their past voting records, they give voters an opportunity to evaluate plans, their solutions, their vision for the future, Not phony information in mailers paid by wealthy billionaire out-of-state donors. Debates offer answers in real time, from the candidates themselves, focused on issues that directly affect us, our situations, our struggles that we encounter daily. Yet when faced with a direct serious challenger in Pottsville's Rachel Wallace, Dan Muser has chosen silence. No debate stage, no shared platform, no accountability. Why is he afraid that voters? What's he afraid that voters might hear? What questions is he afraid voters and Rachel Wallace might ask him questions about how he's voted in the past? Who's funding his campaign questions about his continued backing and supportive data centers attempting to evade our county, taking the remaining fresh air and water and energy that we have. for the benefit of billionaires? Or is he afraid to have to explain what he's not done to directly support people living here? The spiraling cost of living making it more and more difficult simply to pay your monthly bills. Silence is not strength. Avoidance is not leadership. If you can't defend your record in front of the people you serve, it's because your record doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Rachel Wallace has shown up. She's ready to answer for her vision, her values, and her plan for this district. in public, on the record, and on a debate stage. So voters in District 9, this November, don't pay attention and look at the ads meant to scare you and distract you from the real issues that you face every day trying to just get by. Instead, look and focus on who showed up. Look for the candidate who was willing to meet with you and who listened to your concerns offering a new way forward. Because if a candidate won't sit across the table from you now, during the interview, on a debate stage, What makes you think he'll ever answer your questions or address your concerns? On Tuesday, November 3rd, vote for the one who showed up.

Good evening. Jeff Donko, Palo Alto. Hope you've enjoyed your week off. Once again, Miss Gaffney, still no explanation on her FMLA claims from two years ago. For those of you that are here tonight for the first time hearing it, She's been known to work less than 100 hours in a six-month period while receiving $100,000 salary and benefits package through the county. She just thumbs the nose of the taxpayers continuously. She stood at this microphone and stated that she was on FMLA during that time, which is 100 percent illegal as an elected official. She has yet to come here and answer the questions why she stated that, but she was instructed by two elected officials in the county to not make that statement. I think the taxpayers deserve an explanation on that. Moving on, we have the two investigations that are currently underway. Some people are receiving some very interesting calls, threatening calls in regards to those being exposed. So I guess that's just another scare tactic, just the way the cookie crumbles here in the county. Also, Mr. Dottie, I was informed by a phone call last week that you blatantly made a false accusation that I made a statement directly to you. in no way, shape, or form was I anywhere of your presence and discussed the matter at hand that you go and make a statement that is now supposedly on record with this person that I made a statement.

I've never said to anybody that you made a statement.

I just want that on record because I was called with more accusations and threats over this, and your name was specifically mentioned, so I'm glad that we cleared that up. Moving on to the tax sale. debacle with that i guess it was going to be swept under the rug um who scheduled it for the 10th of september was that elite was that the solicitors does the solicitor's office review it which solicitor is in charge of that can the taxpayers have some clarity on that yeah elite revenue handles it okay so they were unaware that it's illegal to hold a tax sale prior to the second Monday of September. I mean, it was advertised, bidders were registered, and then all of a sudden, just nonchalantly on the website, nowhere else, a little blurb saying, oh, it's moved to the 17th now after everybody has their days off of the sale, things lined up, the bidder registration was not reopened again. How much extra fees did we incur? Was there advertising? Why was the bidder window not opened back up? These are things that the taxpayers deserve to know. Also, you can't legally base a continuation of a sale, according to the real estate tax law, based off an unlawfully scheduled tax sale. So I'm requesting again, tax sale on the 17th be suspended, be tabled, according to the state law. And also your your documentation states bidders must appear in register not less than 10 days before the sale. They did not have the opportunity to do that as well. So, I would like, okay, I would like you to identify the statutory and judicial authority permitting school county to invoke the continuation provision. Where the originally scheduled September 10th, 2026, upset sale preceded the earliest date by which section 601 a permits an upset sale to be scheduled. It is prohibited in the first place. Therefore, it was never a statutorily valid original sale from which the continuation authority could operate. It leaves a substantial non-tribulous basis to challenge any of the sales. It's not just a clerical error or oversight from the solicitor's office. This is very major, and I hope anybody that loses their homes due to this, I hope they appeal it. And again, I'm asking them to table the sale and move it to the proper date. Thank you.

Any other public comments?

Speaking from Sinclair, and I'm going to go off of Jeff. I'm resident County. I'm not here tonight. So I'll be on my own behalf. I am here because this whole county tax claim Bureau is preparing to sell hundreds of properties on September 17th in a manner that violates Pennsylvania law. and i'm asking this board to exercise its authority to stop it to be clear the 2024 delinquent taxes on my residents have already been paid under protest removing my property from the sale list i am still standing here however because this is not just about my property this is about the due process rights of more than 800 property owners across this county which the tax claim bureau seeks to violate on september 17th Let me start with a fact the Bureau has already admitted. The Real Estate Tax Sale Law Section 5860.601A mandates that the upset sale shall be scheduled no earlier than the second Monday of September. The word is shall. It is mandatory. It permits no discretion. In September 2026, the second Monday is September 14th. The Bureau scheduled the sale for September 10th, a Thursday, four days before the second Monday and the earliest lawful date. When I called the Bureau on September 2nd to pay my taxes, I asked Representative Judy why the sale date had been changed. Her response was, and I quote, because it was scheduled before the second Monday of September. The Bureau's own employee has acknowledged on the record that September 10th was an illegal sale date. This is not a dispute. The Bureau knows and admits it violated the law. Under Pennsylvania law, When a tax sale is continued or rescheduled, the Bureau is not required to issue a new notice only if the original notice fully complied with all statutory requirements. The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has stated this rule plainly and repeatedly. This court applies Section 601A, permitting the sale to be rescheduled without additional notice, only where all statutory notice requirements for the original sale are satisfied. That did not occur here. Here, the original sale date was September 10th, 2026, a date that violated Section 601A's mandatory second Monday requirement. Every notice issued by the Bureau, the published notice, the certified mail notice, and the posted notice listed September 10th, 2026 as the sale date. Because September 10th was an illegal date, every notice that announced it was defective, rendering the Bureau's provided notice incapable of satisfying the statutory requirements of Section 601 of the real estate tax bail-off. The Bureau cannot rely on defective notices as the basis for skipping re-notice when it changes the date. The Commonwealth Court's binding authority is clear. The Tax Claim Bureau is statutorily required to serve additional notice of the actual corrected sale date by publication, certified registered mail, and by property posting to each of the 800 plus properties listed to be sold for delinquency at its 2026 sale. The Bureau is attempting to sidestep its statutory duty by instead posting one sentence on its website A strike-through of September 10th replaced with September 17th. That is not publication, it is not certified registered mail, and it is not visibly posting the property so that anyone who passes by can see it. It satisfies none of the three forms of notice the law requires. It does not and cannot cure the original notice issued, and therefore the Bureau must re-serve all statutorily required notice of sale before the upset sale can lawfully be conducted or continued. failure to do so will render the entire sale void of an issue and you'll have 800 property owners able to appeal and it's not going to be pretty good evening kevin spawnberg st claire

uh i'm here to talk about the mass tax sale scheduled for next thursday september 17th it's completely un uh unlawful in the real estate tax sale tomorrow was the advertised date of almost 800 properties instead of legally re-advertising reserving the owners and physically reposting your staff simply edited the website a web page update does not override the statutes It appears employees in the solicitor of the Tax Plan Bureau need some training on the real estate tax sale law. The sheer volume of the tax cases in the courts around here is mind-blowing. The Tax Plan Bureau should not lose in court as often as this one does. If you're doing things actually and according to law, none of this should happen. The Commonwealth Court already slammed it. This county, twice this year, with the Maldonado and Acrola case, ruling your cutoff date policies for paying your joint taxes illegal. Yet, here we are again in 2026. All taxes needed to be paid by September 10th, which is an illegal date to even initiate the sale. You continue to ignore binding appellate mandates and continue to do whatever you want. I know your lawlessness firsthand. Your illegal sale turned my reassessed $412,000 home into a level four hazardous mold contaminant site, with the mold spore count 377,000% higher than baseline breeding. You guys rushed an adjudicated deed through, which two out of three of you signed up here, and allowed the winning bidder to kill the utilities in my house while I was ejected for nine months. And it caused flooding. And then the basement, just outbreak of mold spores everywhere. When I stood here and asked if I was supposed to be happy getting my home back in this toxic condition, Commissioner Larry Fedora, remember what you said? Then sue. Well, you're getting what you want. Because my federal case is on the way, and the headline in the news can say, then sue. Larry Fedora costs taxpayers millions. Thank you kindly.

Any other phone comments?

Melinda Diver, North Manhattan Township. So I was a little bit late getting over here to the meeting because I did offer some public comment over in the County Planning Commission meeting.

Once again, it's my understanding that the county provides planning and zoning services for approximately half of the 67 municipalities within Schuylkill County. I did ask the question next door. who is the zoning officer or code enforcement officer for the county so if a business homeowner whatever does not seek the proper zoning permits etc who would be responsible for the county to go out and enforce that So Susan Smith kindly obliged me and said that it's an Ed Wenger, W-E-N-G-E-R, of Lehigh Engineering. So the county contracts with Lehigh Engineering, I guess, to provide that service. So both Fraley Township and Porter Townships of the county where natural soil products is located, both they both use the county to do their planning and zoning services so i'm going to give kudos and recognition to coal region canary for the article that he posted towards the end of august i believe maybe it was august 26th somewhere in there uh regarding the county is opposing nsp and their permit renewal so mr canary to quote in 1992 zoning permit 9125 for a leaf and yard work composting facility only was issued 1992 leaf and yard work composting Is that what's going on out there now? Absolutely not. No later zoning permit, zoning amendment, special exception approval, or other local land use approval authorizing biosolids composting was ever issued to this company owned by Tully Environmental located in New York. 87 violations between 2007 to 2025. At least three buildings have been constructed there without either a zoning permit or a building permit. Currently, no soil testing, air quality testing is being done out there. All kinds of PFAS, PFOA, heavy metals, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, chemotherapeutic waste. is being spread on those lands out there. We have numerous homeowners who are sick. They have been diagnosed with all sorts of illnesses out there. My question is, why can we not send our zoning officer from the county to shut down operations at NSP ASAP, pronto?

I believe enforcement notices were sent. I believe the zoning officer sent enforcement notices.

And what sort of timeline? Nobody knows?

30 days, 60 days to respond? It's 30 days and we're within the 30-day period. So we're just now 30-something years later figuring out that they did not get the proper permitting.

This all came to light when we scrutinized their permit process when we were putting in our organization to their expansion and the tonnage increase. We actually had. I said, we asked them to do a hard look at everything to do with NSB. So that's how that was all found.

So never mind that Shirley Wagner, Wendy Maynford, Tammy Lynn Saltzman, those ladies have been religiously attending, especially Shirley, attending these meetings for how many years now? At least hard and heavy since 2023. And nobody from the county did their due diligence to look into this matter. This is atrocious. Somebody here is not doing their job. NSP needs to be shut down now.

If not, we'll move on with the meeting. Can I have a motion to approve the Commissioner of Minutes meeting as of August 24th? So moved, Chairman. Second. Any questions? Mr. Dora, yes, Mr. Heatherington, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Yes. Commissioner Hetherington?

Yes.

Commissioner Hess? Yes.

Can I have a motion to approve what was presented by John Hathaway on the board session? I move the chairman of the board. Second. Any questions? Commissioner Fedora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington?

Yes.

Commissioner Hess? Yes. Can I have a motion to approve what was presented by the grant writer on the board session? I move the chairman of the board. Second. Any questions?

Commissioner Fedora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington?

Yes.

Commissioner Hess? Yes. Can I have a motion to approve what was presented by Human Resources?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

second one question commissioner yes commissioner hetherington yes commissioner finance office uh good evening commissioners just two items tonight we have a budget adjustment for the juvenile justice department for informational purposes only of two thousand dollars and that was indicated in the Comments we are requesting immediate approval on a 714,230 dollars supplemental budget appropriation resolution for 911. absolutely. This is in relation to the 1.42Million dollars. 911 grant that was that was brought forward before the commissioners. I believe at the end of May, this is the 1st, half of that money that has been received. And that is why we were doing a supplemental budget appropriation resolution because we just received those funds and expenses.

Can I have a motion to approve resolution 2026, status point? So moved, sir. Second. Any questions? Commissioner Padora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Yes. And Commissioner Hess? Yes. That motion was presented by the county administration. So moved, sir. Second. Any questions? Commissioner Padora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Yes. Commissioner Hess? Yes.

Good evening, commissioners. We have one informational item in the clerk reports the promotion of Heather Stetler to second deputy slash office manager, effective 9-14-26 from second deputy.

Thank you. Any new business? Oh, sorry. Yeah. Can I have a salary report of any executive sessions?

There were none.

Public comment for salary report?

Just Uncle Palo Alto, just 2 things real quick for the people of St. Clair and other people here. The hearing for the Brad's landfill trucking issue has been September 15th at St. Clair middle school from 530 to 730. So hopefully you guys can attend and everybody from St. Clair and even the West End. I mean, everybody is impacted by this. So hopefully there's a good turnout there. There are some things online saying September 12th, but the date is September 15th. So everybody can show up there. Also this Friday, we're having a 9-11, a very large unveiling and rededication of the Michael Ferrugio Monument, Palo Alto, right on the main drag. It's going to be a very big event and some special pieces from the Tunnel of the Towers and a lot of guest speakers and food and beverages afterwards. So everybody's invited to attend. That starts at 5 p.m. Thanks. Thank you.

Any other public comment for Saturday morning?

Good evening, Commissioners. Chris Molesky, Norwegian Township. Please refrain from interruptions until after my three minutes, please. Today, I am publicly reporting that I filed an ADA Title II discrimination complaint with the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division regarding my September 4th right-to-know inspection here at the Spokane County Courthouse. Now let me make something clear. The county was notified in advance. Because of physical disability related needs, I submitted a written request for three basic accommodations. A supportive ergonomic style chair, a proper desk or table to review the records, and adequate lighting. I specifically asked to be called beforehand if the county had difficulty providing them. I received no such call. I arrived and I was provided an old rickety-dickety waiting room style chair. My workspace was atop of a two-drawer lateral file cabinet, partially occupied on the right side by a Keurig coffee maker, with a water cooler to the left and a wall to the right. The lighting was so dim that I had to use my phone's flash while scanning 92 pages of public records. When I questioned the conditions, I was essentially told we don't have anything else or anywhere else to offer. No alternative room, no supportive chair, No proper table, no improved lighting, not even an offer to reschedule the inspection so the requested accommodations could be arranged. But my research afterwards uncovered another problem. Who exactly is Spokane County's ADA coordinator? The historical DOJ grievance procedure named Martina Twasciak and directs complaints to her at this courthouse. Current county materials contain different names and conflicting language. And while the county advertises an ADA support email address, its grievance procedure does not clearly explain whether a disabled citizen can actually file the formal grievance electronically. A person with a disability should not need to conduct an investigation just to figure out who handles ADA compliance and how to file one. And here's something this board and the public should know. The United States Department of Justice has been here before. DOJ conducted a project civic access review of Schuylkill County, including this courthouse resulting in a 2012 federal ADA settlement. 14 years later, I'm asking DOJ to look at the county again. I've supplemented my complaint and asked the Civil Rights Division to examine the county's ADA coordinator designation grievance procedure, website accessibility information, electronic filing, accessibility employee training, and the handling of accommodation requests. I'm not standing here saying DOJ has determined the county violated federal law. It hasn't. That's precisely why I provided the documentation and asked the federal government to investigate. Commissioners, take this very seriously because the next disabled person who enters or encounters something like this may not come to this podium and may not ask you to fix it. They may walk into the attorney's office and the next conversation this county has about disability discrimination may take time in a federal courtroom. And guess who ultimately pays the price? The taxpayers. Fix the procedure. Clearly identify the ADA coordinator. Provide an accessible electronic grievance process. Train your personnel. And when somebody gives this county advance notice requesting a reasonable accommodation, take the request seriously the first time. Accessibility isn't courtesy. It's a civil right.

Melinda Divert, North Manhattan Township. Just to reiterate with NSP, water flows downhill, correct? Last time I checked. Okay. It's making me wonder if one of the largest potato growers, producers in the United States of America, Keith Mosser, who lives out in the West End and the bulk of his operation, at least in Schuylkill County, is located out in the West End of the county. Guess what? It's downhill from NSP. Keith Mosser uses both Pine Creek and Deep Creek out there to irrigate his potato fields. Hmm. Y'all been buying any of Keith's potatoes lately? Wonder if he's ever had his potatoes tested or has even gone to the trouble to have those water irrigation sources tested for any of these heavy metals, PFAS, PFOA, forever chemicals. Those are taken up into... Whatever that food crop is, and potatoes being grown in the ground is going to take up a higher percentage of those toxic substances. I wonder if he's ever had his potatoes tested. He might want to think twice, or the people at least buying his products might want to think twice. Chesapeake Bay officials may also care to get involved and investigate what's going on here in Schuylkill County with the pollution of the water sources and the soil. Because again, it all flows downhill, right? Okay, so to pick up on the Brad's landfill, let's hit that one more time. How did that get started? It was a joint project between FKV and Blythe Township officials. F, Steve Field of Wiener Iron and Metal. K, William King. real estate developer in New Jersey, V. Dave Ventresca, formerly of Pottsville Sanitation, who was their attorney, who represented them in all of their efforts to get the Brad's Landfill approved and put into service. None other than our county solicitor, Paul Dottie, who it seems has all kinds of problems that he needs to be addressing, whether it's taxes, his inappropriate relationships. As I have said before, Paul Dottie has never seen a conflict that he couldn't tap dance his way around. Thank you.

Is there any other comments for salary board? If not, I'm going to move on to the meeting. Do I have a motion to approve the salary board meetings of August 26th? So moved. Second. Any questions?

Commissioner Padora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Yes. Commissioner Hess? Yes. Comptroller Kempchin? Yes.

Do I have a motion to approve the salary board board session minutes of September 2nd? So moved. Second.

Any questions? Commissioner Padora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Yes. Commissioner Hess? Yes. Comptroller Kempchin? Yes.

Human resource officer?

Yes, commissioners. In the recorder of deeds, a wage increase for Gerard Clemmer, first deputy, to $43,818, effective $914. In the treasurer's office, a wage increase for Nia Griffin, first deputy, to $49,317.36, effective $914. And the clerk reports eliminate the position of second deputy effective 914 and create the position of second deputy slash office manager on 914. And then set salary for Heather Stetler in that position at a rate of 26.9656 per hour. also effective 914 and finally tax assessment a wage increase for christine's enrollment chief assessor to sixty seven thousand six hundred thirteen dollars ninety two cents effective nine fourteen okay so can i have a motion for the reporter of deeds solo chairman second any question commissioner pedora yes commissioner heather yes commissioner hess yes controller you can chip yes every quarter of dean studish

Um, and I have a motion for the charges office. So I'm going to try to second question.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Can I have a motion for three clerk reports? Eliminate the position, create the position, and set the salary? So moved. I'll make three position changes.

Second.

Other questions?

Commissioner Padora?

Yes.

Commissioner Hetherington?

Yes.

Commissioner Hess? Yes. Comptroller Yukenchik? Yes. And Clerk of Court DeCasimiro?

Can I have a motion for the tax assessment? So moved, Chairman. Second.

Other questions? Commissioner Padora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Trollery Kenshin. Yes.

Is there any new business? Sorry for the executives. I'm sorry. I'll stay until he's done. Oh, sorry.

No, that's okay.

I'll wait until you're done. I just want to go on record, though.

Okay, go ahead. I just wanted to tell you that in the last four nights, it has been that bad in Woodspring, and DEP was called, and they came in to investigate this morning, several hours after the stench was There, but I just wanted it on record. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

Um, we're trying to report or any executive sessions. They're not held public comments for retirement work.

Okay.

The minutes from the meeting of August, I got a little glasses 12. So we'll try with second question, Mr. Padora.

Yes, Mr. Hetherington. Yes, Mr. Hess, controller. You can check. Yes, treasure. Yeah, yeah.

You're getting up already. Maybe I'll call you. Good evening, chairman. County controller, their retirement board report for August 2026.

We had two members receive a retirement of $438,430 with a pro rata payment of $1,595. Five members received refunds of $68,599. One member received a rollover of $8,283. Two deceased members received pro rata payments of $1,457. The market value of the retirement fund as of August 31st, 2026 was $201,877,134. And as of today, September 9th, 2026, $202,159,148. And we actually had one vested member elect to actually retire. No business, please.

Second. Commissioner Padua? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Yes. Commissioner Hess? Yes.

Controller, you can't check?

Yes.

Commissioner Young?

Yes.

Now there's business. Okay.

I would like to acknowledge as the Secretary of the Retirement Board that I received a letter dated August 20th, 2026 from the Schuylkill County Retired Employees Association. The Schuylkill County Retired Employees Association is requesting the Retirement Board consider a cost of living increase. once the county receives the cost of living adjustment from the calculations from the county's actuarial company we will present the cost factors associated with auth authorization authorizing sorry authorizing that county Cost of living adjustment this information just for a note does not become available until November and it would be up to discussion after we received what the cost of living would be to the county.

Thank you.