Luzerne County Council Disects 2013 Proposed Budget

Forty Fort, Luzerne County - For the first time, members of the Luzerne County council sit down and hash out the proposed 2013 county budget.  The 123 million dollar spending plan will cut both jobs and services.

The good news is the budget would hold the line on county taxes but several dozen county workers would lose their jobs.

Monday night was the first time that council had the chance to sit down and ask any question to the county manager about the proposed 2013 budget that was unveiled last month.  The 123 million dollar budget reduces spending, reduces the size of government but there is no increase in taxes.  But that means cuts across the board.  The 2013 budget calls for 47 fewer positions that 2012. 

County manager Robert Lawton says half of those positions are currently  filled while the other half are already vacant, "We looked at departmental operations, looked at work loads looked at how departments were run and made recommendations based on those  findings and not simply because we were chasing some fixed dollar amount."

In the proposed budget, departments across the board will be losing positions including the prison and in the courthouse.

The council has plans to meet again on November 14^th, that's when they will go line by line through the budget to determine how these cuts will impact county services.