Carbon County commissioners approved a number of personnel actions at their regular public meeting on Thursday.

They approved three new hires: Darrin M. Arndt, Lehighton, Brandy N. Bamford, Summit Hill, and Chelsea N. Michalesko, Freeland, as part-time dispatcher/trainees at the county communications center, effective Feb. 7.Commissioners also approved seminar/training requests: Adult Probation employees Joseph Berke, Kim Cooper, Jillian McGinley, Tammy Wall and Matthew Kimmel will attend a seminar on gangs and violence in Allentown at a conference fee of $60 per person plus meals.Juvenile Court employees James Dodson and Joseph Greco will attend a seminar on the Pennsylvania Juvenile Case Management System in State College at a conference fee cost of $60 per person, plus lodging, meals and mileage.Sheriff's Department employee Joe Hager will attend a Street Crimes seminar in Quakertown.In other matters, the Salary Board the pay rate of one deputy sheriff from $12.40 an hour (Grade 8, Step B) to $12.04 an hour (Grade 8, Step A), effective Thursday.The board also established the positions of three Election Board members at $65 a day, also effective Thursday. The positions are not eligible for retirement benefits as they are not anticipated to involved more than 1,000 hours.in other matters Thursday, commissioners:*Appointed Antonette Gibson of Blue Mountain Health System to the Children and Youth Services agency advisory board;*Ratified a disaster emergency declaration prepared in case it was needed for the ice storm that struck the area earlier in the week. The disaster emergency was never declared because the storm was not as intense as forecast;*Signed an agreement with Suzette Kurtz of Lehighton to provide logistics and accuracy testing procedures for the 2011 primary and general elections at $20 an hour, not to exceed 125 hours;*Signed a service agreement with Lazer Micr, Easton, for the check signer in the commissioners' office. The agreement is from April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012.