Pocono News Section

Luzerne Co. Considering Employee Cell Phone Policy

Luzerne Co. Considering Employee Cell Phone Policy - Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 04:17AM EST

Reported by: Mike Trim
Wednesday May 26 2010
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY -- Cutting costs by possibly cutting cell phones. The Luzerne County Controller says there's little accountability with county funded cell phone plans for county workers.

Controller Walter Griffith said, "Because of that availability, we need the policies. We need the policies to make sure that people are aware that the county taxpayers are giving you benefit that you are to use for county business."

212 county employees are issued cell phones, but there is no record for which workers use 43 of those phones. Griffith also says there's no way to check if the phones are being used solely for county business or if some may be using them for personal calls.

The cell phone bills total about $6,000 a month. The cell phone issue is scheduled to be on the commissioners agenda in June.

Meanwhile County Manager Doug Pape plans to talk with the state County Commissioners Association, gauging what policies other counties have could help Luzerne County. Pape said, "From a public entity standpoint a lot of the public entities don't know how to exactly address this issue. But it's something that we hope to get resolved before the June meeting."