A position eliminated four years ago in the Schuylkill County Controller's office will be restored.
Pending approval by the salary board on Wednesday, Mario Basile, Wayne Township, will be appointed to the reinstated position of county auditor at a salary of $34,435. Paul Buber was removed from the position in 2009 to work under the commissioners as a financial analyst.
"I would like to get the positions in the office back to where they were before my predecessor was here," Controller Christy Joy, a Republican, said Thursday afternoon. "I wanted to bring someone in with auditing experience."
Joy said Basile has a master's degree in auditing and has worked for the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General.
Joy defeated County Controller Melinda Kantner in the Nov. 6, 2011, General Election. Kantner, elected in 2007 as a Democrat, was ran for reelection as an independent against Joy and Democrat Brad Patchulis.
Buber's removal was the subject of a lawsuit filed by Kantner in January 2009. Kanter sued to have the position restored, but a settlement was reached to create an accounts examiner position in her office at a starting salary of $32,302.
Brett Clark served as accounts examiner before accepting a position at Rest Haven about a year ago, Mark Scarbinsky, county administrator, said Thursday. The position was then filled by Sara McDonough, Orwigsburg. McDonough was fired from her position on Jan. 16. Her salary was set to be $33,271 this year.
Commissioner Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier, the only current commissioner who was on the board in 2009, said Buber was originally transferred from the controller's office in 2008 to create a financial team, with Scarbinsky and assistant administrator Paul Straka, in the commissioners office to help with the budgets.
"There was a lack of communication from the controller's office," Staduenmeier said Friday. "The position was already in existence. Christy Joy actually had a vacancy and he made a replacement. He just enhanced the position. He is doing what he thinks is best and we continue to work with him."
He said Buber will continue to work in the commissioners office.
"It's not unusual in county offices," Staudenmeier said. "A lot of other counties have their own financial department that works in conjunction with the controllers office. Typically the controller's office works out of commissioners' office."
With the latest addition to his office, Joy said he plans to start working on the District Magistrate reviews, which were leased to outside agencies during Gary L. Hornberger's 12 years as county controller.
"We are getting a little more auditing experience here and hopefully we will be able to do it inhouse," Joy said.