HONESDALE, PA — There have been some positives for Wayne County as it works on recovering from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the county was able to use millions of dollars in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to provide each borough and township in the county with a $30,000 grant to address infrastructure needs.

Since 2020, however, the Wayne County Commissioners have found themselves struggling through many of the same financial strains affecting people, businesses and institutions throughout the post-pandemic world. 

With an election just weeks away, the River Reporter checked in with commissioners Brian Smith, Jocelyn Cramer and James Shook, who spent more time discussing the importance of adaptability in the face of frustration—the “constant evolution of negotiation,” as Shook phrased it—than they did touting victories or making lofty promises for the coming year.

Shook—who was appointed to replace Joe Adams after his election to the state House—said that coming in as a longtime business owner, getting into county government has been like “slamming on the brakes.” Because unlike running your own business, where you can take risks with your own money, government officials must seek grants so the cost of projects don’t fall on local taxpayers, and only take on ventures that have been evaluated carefully.

“[In county government], we have to answer to 51,000 people when we’re investing money back into Wayne County. When you’re investing into your business, you only have to answer for yourself,” Shook said. “Every dollar that comes in taxes is used for operations; thats what keeps the county in the black… Everything that we do here to provide additional services comes from grants.”

Recovery to work

Ahead of the spring primary, Shook talked about his excitement for a recovery-to-work project for which the county had raised more than $10 million in funding. The idea, Shook said, was to help individuals and families in crisis to overcome struggles with substance-use disorders by connecting them to training and employment opportunities. 

The commissioners built up funding over several years through a range of sources, including private contributions, the Wayne County Community Foundation and state programs.

But so far, even that $10 million has not been enough to get the initiative off the ground. Smith, the longest-serving commissioner on the board, said that unexpectedly high expenses associated with the project have made things “perplexing at best.”

“We thought we had a building up in Waymart that we might be able to work through with the owner; by the time we actually looked at the cost of what we wanted to do there, the design of what we needed to do there… all the different things really just drove the cost of doing what we were trying to do in one location far beyond our capabilities in the amount of money that we have to spend on such a facility,” Smith said. “We have been forced to pivot yet again.”

Smith said that after accounting for all of the renovations and regulatory stipulations necessary to make the Waymart building a suitable location, the cost would have soared to over $25 million.

“When we saw the price tag of this project, we were overwhelmed… it was devastating,” Cramer said, noting that they still aren’t giving up. “As a county government, we have a responsibility to provide these services and they aren’t here. So we’re continuing to work through that and find solutions where we can.”

Housing issues

The recovery-to-work obstacles are a symptom of “explosive costs” being felt just about everywhere, Smith said. It’s an issue that’s affecting the housing market in general.

Early in the year, the county received a housing study it had commissioned from Urban Partners. The results of the study were helpful, the commissioners said, but not too surprising. Broadly, it highlighted connections between the county’s housing needs and its workforce needs.

“Everything is just so sketchy right now. It was speculated that there would be a quick rise and fall in values of property and homes due to COVID-19. Well there was a quick rise, but there has not been a fall in prices at all,” Smith said. “The whole thing is troubling and difficult to manage.”

Contributing to this difficulty, about half of the real estate in Wayne County, Cramer said, is owned by people who don’t live in the county. Many non-resident property owners then list their property on a short-term rental website—a trend that has many locals worried about the character of their community suffering as a result. 

Cramer said that the commissioners are interested in pursuing housing projects that facilitate long-term residents, new business owners and a stronger workforce.

“One of the things we don’t have a lot of here in Wayne County is apartment housing… so a feasibility study allows us to pursue options, and we can seek grant opportunities so we don’t have to spend taxpayer dollars,” Cramer said. “There is an incredible need for tradespeople here in our community, and Wayne and Pike counties are the only two counties in the state that don’t have a vocational career technical center… we as commissioners will certainly support that.”

Broadband connectivity

Getting more of the county hooked up to the internet—a top priority in Wayne for years—is another topic Smith said seemed much simpler earlier in the year. The commissioners were originally planning to use federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars for broadband expansion, but changed course when they found that there were other funding streams available through both federal and state grant sources, Cramer said.

Smith said things have become much more complex, with a disparity between what census maps suggested about the level of broadband service and what internet service providers define as “served” and “underserved.” Then there are wild-card factors like Elon Musk’s Starlink venture, which provides internet connection via low-flying satellites.

“By the time you work your way through this complex application process, you really don’t know where are you going to be at the end of this,” Smith said. “There are no clear-cut answers yet.”

The election

Smith, Shook (Republicans) and Cramer (Democrat) will all be on the ballot in this year’s election, Tuesday, November 7. Hawley Borough Councilor Michael Dougherty (Democrat) has also thrown his hat into the ring. Wayne voters will be asked to choose from two out of the four candidates. The three highest-grossing candidates will make up the board of commissioners for the next four years.

Check out next week’s paper for an interview with commissioner candidate Dougherty.