If you'd like to know more about county government, I'd strongly recommend that you view the committee hearings on YouTube. Last week, Council member Dave Holland's Courts and Corrections Committee conducted an exhaustive review of just some of the county agencies that deal with the back end of crime. This, like elections, is a core county function. The meeting kicked off with Court Administrator Jermaine Greene and what he calls his "baby," the Juvenile Justice Center.
Greene has been the county's court administrator for the past 10 years. Prior to that he was the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) Director for 10 years. He explained that it is unique because it has both detention and treatment beds. It also has contracts with other counties for beds (Lehigh - 3, Monroe - 3, Lackawanna - 2, Pike - 1), that are paid at a rate of $415 per day, regardless whether the beds are filled.
Under the prior County Council and former Exec Lamont McClure, Greene was before County Council extensively in a quest to seek better pay for better wages for youth care workers, "the backbone of our juvenile center." He repeated this request with the current Council again last week. "We need to raise the salaries of our youth care workers," he argued. The current starting wage is $19,80 an hour, and they must have 60 college credits. "They can go down the bottom of the hill, work at Wawa or FedEx, and make more than that," noted Greene. He believes that raising the starting wage is the key to ensuring that the facility is fully staffed. "We have to spend some money to make money," he expounded. If operating at 80% capacity, the JJC can actually receive $2 million in bed fees from other counties. Right now, the facility is operating at about 40% capacity.
Greene claimed that previous attempts to set higher salaries were "roadblocked." But he said he had a good conversation with Exec Tara Zrinski, "and she got it. She got it after a half hour of conversation with her."
Greene added that "the court is fully behind me and the vision I have for the center. ... It will work. I promise you that. It will work." He complimented Council member Lori Vargo Heffner, who had unfiltered access" to staff and residents during a half-day tour, and invited all Council members to visit.
In response to a question from member Theresa Fadem, Greene said he'd like to raise the starting salary to about $23 an hour.
Member Tom Giovanni asked Greene about a four-county movement to create a regional JJC, which is actually up for a vote tonight in Lehigh County. Greene said he has a good relationship with Lehigh and added "we have the infrastructure right now to make it happen here." The county is currently negotiated with Lehigh for an increase in bed count.
The JJC is supposed to be staffed by 52 youth care workers, 13 assistant supervisors and 9 supervisors. The youth care workers are only about 40% staffed. The "assistant supervisor" was created to keep youth care workers from leaving and they were filled within a month. The JJC includes detention and treatment pods for females and sex offenders.
Member Dave Holland assured Greene that he now has advocates on Council who will support higher wages.
In addition to Greene, JJC Director JaMarr Billman spoke. He's been there 19 years. He explained that the facility can hold up to 36 juveniles in detention, but its usual census is 12-18. He acknowledged that there are current conversations with Lehigh to increase the number of contracted beds. Starting in July, the daily bed rate will increase to $435. This alone generates $1.4 million in annual revenue. Other counties also will send juveniles, and Northampton will accept if it has the available staff and beds.
The JJC also offers a boys' treatment program with an on-site school, including four teachers. The boys actually go out into the community to help with fundraisers, as volunteers for local events, visits to an art museum, jib searches and even Phillies and fishing trips. They can even receive lessons on building and repairing bikes, which makes me want to enroll. Dynamic Counseling Services provides mental health treatment.
Holland stated that the county really needs to both staff and fund every available bed at the JJC. "It's a core function of the county. and I don't know how long this (staffing shortage) has been going on , but the fact that we haven't been able to do that, is kinda outrageous. We have to find a way to do it. There's children who need help. We have empty beds. They're sitting there. We have to figure out a way to do that, and I believe we will."
Welcome to Northampton County, Mr. Holland, where tax breaks for the rich get priority over the needs of our most vulnerable. When Jermaine Greene said he was roadblocked, he has the receipts. Here are links to just some of my previous stories.
Previous Juvenile Justice Center Stories:
NorCo Administrators Respond to Staffing Crisis Story at Juvenile Justice
Express Times Awards Turkeys to Tara Zrinski & Kevin Lott
NorCo Council Addresses Staffing Shortage at Juvenile Justice Center
UPDATED: NorCo Council Members Zrinski and Lott Double-Team Court Administrator Jermaine Greene
26 comments:
There go the tax increases that McClueless held off on. Now the taxpayers will get hammered. It costs too much to live in NC. Guess it will soon be all NY/NJ people. The only ones that can afford it.
Tax breaks for the rich?? Are you referring to out of state developers who build luxury housing? I’m with you if that’s what you are referring too.
Where have you been for the last thirty years? Northampton County is notorious for screwing their employees and the Courts fall into the category of "employees". Gracedale has a problem and most of it can be related to salaries paid to employees. The R's have only held the top jobs in Northampton County for eight of the last thirty years and the D's have been at the helm of this misguided ship for at least 22 of those years. Employees wages and benefits are the biggest budget item for every administration and its also the easiest way to curtail spending by keeping the wages of your greatest asset low! The only way to resolve this problem is to "HAVE AN INDEPENDENT WAGE STUDY OF ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES" and take the necessary steps to correct these deficiencies in all the offices (both Courts and Administration). County services will continue to decline until something is done about employee's wages and benefits.
Greene, besides low wages, is a big part of the problem.
It is a concern that Mr. Holland makes statements such as “I don’t know how long this has been going on”. I would hope that all of the new county council members would have done some research on county issues BEFORE running for a seat. It doesn’t appear that way.
That is precisely what I mean. We have too many problems to deal with over the core functions we are required to provide before giving a tax break to an out-of-state developer for luxury apartments.
Give me a frickin' break. It appears to me what you really dislike is that Holland calls the current situation "outrageous" and vows to help solve the problem.
I actually like Mr. Holland but I think even he is seeing that there's resistance to his suggestions even about those areas in which he actually has knowledge; namely, Gracedale and it's better to just state that the state of the county in general is a surprise rather than admit what the previous administration has done to it. And it's only April.
Wish the director of corrections had the guts to get up there and fight for her employees and department. But nope. She's making her 6 figure salary and could give two SH-TS about her employees.
Tara is a joke. She actually gave Lamont a job. Any person with a independent look at this would fire hi. And never speak to him again he just ruined her political career getting her elected to this position. Because her only option is to raise taxes. And the residents will destroy her. As will her opponent the next election cycle.
Do the right thing Tara. Walk down the steps fire Lamont today. Take steps to help county employees. By doing that you will be solving so many of the county issues. It's going to hurt and hurt bad. But by the time 4 years rolls around, if you do it now, votes will see it was necessary.
Remember county council has no control over employees or departments. Employees go there because it is the only place for them to speak openly about issues where the publiccan hear them. But when it comes down to it the issues fall solely at the feet of the executive.
Funny thing is all those department heads left thinking things are gonna change. Lol. Not one council person will try to change anything. Because the only way for a real change is for taxes to go up. And not one of them has the intergerty to say that. It's political suicide.
Lehigh is joining the Juv super center being built so there goes the Lehigh county kids coming here. Lehigh and Northampton county should have gotten together and built there own facility together appears that ship has sailed. This green and billman are delusional in their thinking.
The Juvenile Justice Center is not a “core county function.” And, Holland doesn’t understand that Greene and apparently his answer is to detain(incarcerate) more children. That’s not protecting children you moron. That’s setting them on a path to big boy jail. Our judges know that and that’s why they are very, very reluctant to put kids in Jr. Jail. Holland should be careful. Slippery slope to Kids for Cash. Genius should stick to begging for someone to tell him what a great job he did at Gracedale.
I don't know what planet you live on, but county government exists for the back end of crime, and that includes juvenile justice. You have no idea what you are talking about.
oh just shut up and quit already, we are so tired of reading your droning on
you de realize that a 1 mil county tax increase will keep you from maybe buying a few cases of beer. its so huge you wont even notice it
It’s absolutely a core county function. Unfortunately some juveniles need to be detained because they are a danger to society. Perfect example is the kid in Northampton who murdered his girlfriend and her mother.
If it costs a few cases of beer, you can pay mine. I'm retired.
What amazes me about lehigh and a juvenile detention center is they built one behind cedarbrook and it never got used. No kids to go in to keep it sustainable they said. So it sat empty with various departments using it because it would cost too much to reconfig u re all the concrete beds etc.. that was the excuse. They wouldn't let cedarbrook administration in to see it as they wanted to use it. Not sure what happened to it as this was over 12 years ago but why pay millions to go in with other counties on one????makes no sense
Please stop complaining. Boo hoo hoo. Move elsewhere then! Yes there will be a tax increase, needs to happen! I too own a home and live in the county and I’m fine with it. Why wouldn’t there be? You crybabies think those employees or any government employee aren’t allowed to get paid well? Yet the first to complain when employees leave and any services you seek are delayed. RAISE TAXES! A two mill increase would cost the average property owner what $60-$80 a year more? Don’t make your annual donation to the MAGA movement and you’ll have that covered.. cry me a river.
And there you have it!!!! The tax payer that tells everyone to quit. Hey you fool people are. That's why gracedale is the way it is. The JJC is the way it is. And also the jail. But just wait. Ask the real question how much is that little problem at gracedale going to cost the county???
If ppl only knew about the jail!!
But as long as taxes don't go up all is well. Don't mind the burning buildings behind you. This sound just like Lamont. God I hope she fired him already.
8:03 hi Kelly. If you're going to use the same story over and over every time you're okay with tax increases, you should just sign your name at this point. All you know how to do is tax. Your husband's getting a cushy pension, managing your job, you're getting paid to be bathroom monitor at eahs, must be nice to afford all the tax increases you push. Not everyone has it like you, Keegan.
12:28, Courts and Corrections did cover the jail, and I intend to post about that as well. I know there is a CO shortage and intend to get that information out there.
Cover the jai!!!! Every other speaker got time to talk and say their thoughts. Lol. The director of the jail didn't even get 5 minutes and was told to wrap it up.
Doesn't really matter she wasn't gonna say anything anyway.
All the clerks deserve higher pay too, considering they handle all the data entry, the mailings, as well as being in the courtroom handwriting court orders on the fly.
Yet Keegan was against a tax increase when her task master McClure pushed for no tax increase. She votes as she is told. Has she contributed anything for the people she represents or the county other than tampons in county bathrooms. Like her husband voting for tax increases for the EASD. Typical democrats, increase taxes. Both of them reap the benefits from taxes the people pay. And both full of hate.
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