Cambria County controller Ed Cernic Jr. said about $70,000 went to five county employees at the end of last year.
The people are getting the stipends in large part because of the additional work they did after former chief clerk Michael Gelles died in April last year. The county is still without a chief clerk.
Officials said the employees role in implementing a new software system.
Cernic said he is the one that proposed the idea to the commissioners and when the salary board, made of the commissioners and the controller, voted on the stipends at the last commissioners meeting of 2023, the stipends passed with a 3-1 vote.
According to Cernic the money given to the employees was what was already in the budget for the chief clerk and not all of that was used for the stipends.
Now president commissioner in Cambria County Scott Hunt was the opposing vote, and he said he did not think the stipends were fair and that many county employees are upset about it.
One of those is Cambria County coroner Jeff Lees who said this in a statement.
“I'm not faulting the individuals that got the bonus but the principal behind it on the eleventh hour.
My staff has very hard and emotional job. They have worked extra hard through the drug pandemic, the COVID outbreak the plane crash. All required extra-long hours day and night, weekends and holidays included with no bonus.
Our elected officials and Department Heads are told in our budget hearings to tighten the belt and reduce spending.
This action only brings down morale through our county government. The taxpayers deserve answers.”
Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court Cindy Perrone said,
“I was surprised to hear about the bonuses that were given out!
Some of my staff barely make $20,000 annually and two of his staff members were given $20,000 bonuses??
I am expected to watch my pennies when it comes to office supplies and expenditures.
When I started the office had eight employees and now, we are down to six employees doing the same amount of work with no reclassification.”
Recorder of Deeds Melissa Kimla and treasurer Lisa Kozorosky also said they do not support the “Last minute decision to give very large yearend bonuses to only five employees,” and said they believe each county employee should be treated with the same courtesy.
Cernic said he believes the five employees getting a stipend earned it and he does not regret recommending the idea or voting for it.
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