Schuylkill County commissioners will pay a Berks County company $215 per hour for “interim human resources director support” and another $165 per hour for recruiting support, if needed.

Commissioners Gary J. Hess, George F. Halcovage Jr. and Chairman Barron L. Hetherington all voted in favor of hiring Hubric Resources of Wyomissing, retroactive to May 17.

In a related matter, commissioners approved a human resources budget adjustment of $149,000 to pay the bill.

Finance Director Paul E. Buber said the money was transferred from the county’s contingency fund.

Contingency funds are established by counties to pay for unexpected revenue losses or expenditures.

Hess asked whether the job had been posted, and what the time limit was on the Hubric contract.

County Administrator Gary R. Bender said the contract ends on Dec. 31, and that the job was posted within the courthouse as there were people who had previously applied.

He said there were six to eight applications, including some from outside.

Bender also said he does not anticipate spending the entire $149,000.

“I don’t think we’ll need all that, but we wanted to do just one contingency transfer,” he said.

Bender said the county wants to get the interviews done and the job filled as quickly as possible.

Hubric is sending former interim human resources director Doreen M. Kutzler to fill in until a replacement is found for the most recent director, Heidi L. Zula.

She’s familiar with the office and the work, Bender said. He also said she is not coming in every day, but rather on an as-needed basis.

Commissioners will be searching for a new human resources director to replace Zula, who resigned as of June 3 to take a similar job with Harrisburg School Direct.

Hired by the county on Dec. 9, 2020 at $79,000 a year, Zula will earn $125,000 a year at her new job.

Zula replaced interim human resources director Kutzler, who replaced Deborah A. Twigg.

Twigg was hired in January 2018, after her predecessor Martina A. Chwastiak retired.

Zula is among those named in a federal sexual harassment lawsuit against Halcovage that was filed in March 2021 in U.S. District Court, Scranton by four women who work in the courthouse.

The other defendants are the county, First Assistant County Solicitor/Risk Manager Glenn T. Roth Jr., County Administrator Gary R. Bender, and Kutzler.

In the suit, the women say Halcovage sexually harassed them from the time he was elected in 2012.

The others are accused of failing to stop him and what the women say are retaliatory measures taken against them.

All five defendants have denied the accusations, and the U.S. Department of Justice has since joined the suit.