Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency has declared last Saturday a disaster emergency.
The county commissioners approved the proclamation Wednesday.
“Typically we will ask them to sign the declaration of disaster based on how severe the storm is and what municipalities are experiencing,” John Blickley, SCEMA deputy coordinator, said.
More than 2 feet of snow fell in parts of the county over the weekend. About 20 municipalities issued snow emergencies, Blickley said.
“I think the best thing that happened to us is that it fell on a Saturday,” Blickley said. “Not a lot of people had to go to work. Most people were able to stay at home and that helped the municipalities. I think the biggest concern was the rate — up to 2 inches an hour. I think that was the biggest problem and why crews fell behind at times.”
The emergency declaration authorizes the county to coordinate snow removal efforts with municipalities and includes employing temporary workers, renting equipment, buying supplies and materials and agreeing to public work contracts all without time-consuming procedures and formalities usually required.
It also makes the county and its municipalities eligible for funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Blickley said SCEMA is working to compile storm costs from the municipalities to submit to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
In other news, some county row officers asked the salary board to consider increasing the salary of first deputies. County Controller Christy Joy, who is a member of the salary board along with treasurer and commissioners, asked the board to increase the salary of his first deputy Ron Zimmerman.
“Ron has excelled and eclipsed the previous job description written in 1994,” Joy said.
Zimmerman, who has been first deputy since 2012, has an annual salary of $43,357.
Clerk of Courts Maria Casey also requested the salary board consider taking another look at first deputy salaries. The first deputy in her office, Paul Steffanic, had an annual salary of $37,628. He has been in the position since 2006 before retiring late last year, but was brought back to the position on a part-time basis earlier this month.
“I would say that any first deputy in this courthouse who performs similar duties should likewise receive consistent compensation for that position,” Casey said.
Those requests were made following the salary board’s approval to pay Joseph Smerko $21.13 an hour, or about $43,950 a year, as central booking processing coordinator in the sheriff’s office.
The county has also submitted a grant application to upgrade the traffic signal at the intersection of Route 61 and Manheim Road, Schuylkill Haven. Upgrades will consist of installing backplates with retroflective borders, revise the left turn signs and pavement markings, update clearance interval timings and retime. The upgrades are part of the state Department of Transportation’s intersection safety improvement program.