During the May 28 meeting of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners, the board heard from multiple community members regarding an amendment to a bill meant to get rid of a temporary wage increase for the Lehigh County Jail workers.

The original bill, sponsored by Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt, included reducing the temporary wage increase from $200 to $100 when 40 hours have been logged by workers in the department of corrections. Commissioner Jon Irons proposed an amendment to this bill that would not reduce the temporary wage increase until a better solution was found by the county executive.

During the discussion of this amendment, eight corrections officers who work at the Lehigh County Jail shared both their gratitude the temporary wage increase would still be enforced for a time and their continued frustration due to a lack of staffing, because of difficulty in recruiting and retaining workers and assigned mandatory overtime.

Samantha Hernandez, a corrections officer who has worked at the county jail for three years, said the staffing issues within the jail have only intensified, which makes it harder for the officers who work there to do their jobs.

“We do have a staffing issue, and it’s only gotten worse,” Hernandez said over the commissioners’ meeting Zoom call. “I’m not sure why taking away money from us, especially in the current situation that we’re at economically, is going to help the situation.”

Other corrections officers, also participating in the meeting through Zoom, agreed with Hernandez’s sentiment. Jose Orama, a fellow corrections officer, stressed the need for a permanent solution to the jail’s struggles.

“We’re going to continue with the bonuses that we all know are temporary, but we need a full-time solution for this,” Orama said. “I don’t think that it’s the best option to continue with a temporary solution to a problem that’s going to be [here] for a long time.”

After listening to the corrections officers’ thoughts and feelings, the board voted, with no opposition, to amend the original bill, with Irons adding the board will continue talking about this issue in the weeks ahead with a goal to make a “meaningful” impact on both recruitment and retention issues. The amended bill was expected to continue with its second read at the June 11 commissioners meeting.

During the meeting, the board also spent a portion of the evening recognizing a resolution, passed with no opposition, meant to designate the week of June 1-7 as CPR and AED Awareness Week throughout the Lehigh Valley and encouraging residents to take part in demonstrations being presented by the American Heart Association throughout the county in June.

Jessica Escobar-Eck, a development manager for the American Heart Association, spoke on the importance of this resolution.

“The American Heart Association’s mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. But we can’t do it alone,” Escobar-Eck said. “We rely on communities, like Lehigh County, to help us spread lifesaving knowledge.”

Escobar-Eck went on to mention the events being held by the association throughout June, which will provide hands-only CPR experiences, with the goal being to ensure at least one person in every household knows how to perform hands-only CPR.

Commissioners Zach Cole-Borghi and Ron Beitler emphasized the importance of CPR Awareness Week for the community in support of the resolution.

The meeting concluded with all proposed agenda items being approved with no opposition.