SUNBURY – Northumberland County commissioners were squelching rumors of privatization Tuesday. At their regular meeting, commissioner chairman Rick Shoch said employees were told lies in the Children and Youth department that there was a plan afoot to outsource their jobs.
Commissioner Sam Schiccatano said rumors that the discussion was part of the negotiation to purchase Northwestern Academy are false, “We have never talked one with them about anything taken over in the agency and I can 100, no 1000% guarantee that I’ve never done anything to talk about any agency being taken over by a private organization.”
Steve Jarrell, representative of the Service Employees International Union addressed the board on behalf of the employees, “I appreciate everything you guys have done and I definitely appreciate you going on the record and saying that there is no intent to privatize that agency.”
Later in the meeting, commissioners voted to place all human services departments under Shoch’s leadership. Commissioner Kymberley Best opposed moving Children and Youth, Agency on Aging, and Conflicts Counsel. Best said she disagrees with change, “It’s disappointing, but it actually doesn’t mean as much as the title invokes. It really just denotes to the employees who their first contact should be. But, there really isn’t any administrative or policy change that can be effectuated without a public vote.”
Shoch stated that placing human services under the purview of one commissioner allows for more cooperation and collaboration between departments.
