Luzerne County’s proposed 2027 budget will be presented during Tuesday’s County Council meeting.
The administration has not yet addressed whether a real estate tax increase will be recommended.
County taxes are 6.4494 mills, which equates to a $644.94 tax bill on a $100,000 property. A mill is $1 tax on every $1,000 in assessed value of real estate.
The council is free to make adjustments before the final budget adoption scheduled for Dec. 8.
In addition to budget discussions at three regularly scheduled meetings in October and November, two council budget hearings have been added on Oct. 20 and Nov. 17.
Tuesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for the remote attendance option will be posted in the council online public meeting section at luzernecounty.org.
Property sale
A proposed sale of the county’s three-story brick structure at 54 W. Union St. in Wilkes-Barre is also on the voting agenda.
The $281,000 purchase offer is from MAHS Real Estate Ventures LLC, it said.
The 6,500-square-foot property was listed at $373,000 based on a July 2025 appraisal. County officials want to sell the structure, which housed community development before that office relocated, to generate revenue and return the property to the tax rolls.
County Council listed the property through Jonathan J. Nelson Real Estate. Upon closing, the broker will receive a 2% commission, while the remaining 2% will go to the buyer’s agent, officials said.
American Rescue
The council is set to vote Tuesday to formally terminate its federal American Rescue Plan Act allocation to the Keystone Mission, the agenda said.
The county has pending litigation in the county Court of Common Pleas against the Keystone Mission over the nonprofit’s use of the earmark.
The council had awarded $500,000 to the Keystone Mission for homeless services, including $312,400 to lease and remodel space to create apartments for four homeless families in Wilkes-Barre, according to prior reporting. However, county officials said that housing program did not materialize.
According to the county, $86,033.69 of the earmarked funds were never forwarded to the nonprofit. The council’s Tuesday’s vote officially recalls, or “de-obligates,” the funds that were not transferred so the money can be used for other purposes before the end of this year.
The termination notice included in Tuesday’s agenda said county monitoring of the project identified “serious compliance deficiencies.”
Opioid earmark
A $146,952 earmark for XT Enterprises, doing business as RecoverU, is also up for council approval, the agenda said.
The county’s Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement recommended the allocation from the county’s share of the state settlement against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors.
It would fund 2,826 nights of licensed recovery housing for county residents with opioid use disorder over a year, at a rate of $52 per resident each night, officials said.
RecoverU operates 10 licensed beds at 226-228 Barney St. in Wilkes-Barre and plans to expand to a second property to increase its capacity to 18 beds because it has a waiting list, a representative has said. The Barney Street house serves those in long-term recovery.
Act 13
The voting agenda also includes a vote to approve awards to seven entities for recreation and conservation projects.
The county received funding from natural gas drilling annually since the state authorized such allocations under Act 13 in 2012. Because excess funds have accrued, the council agreed to reactivate outside awards that have not been provided since 2018.
The council’s Act 13 Committee recommended these earmarks:
• SPCA of Luzerne County, New Hope Trails, $40,000
• Valley East Little League in Butler Township, fence safety project, $38,000
• Lehman Sanctuary, NEPA STEM nature science educational support, $40,000
• Plymouth Historical Society, tree removal and replacement beautification project, $5,030
• Forty Fort Borough, disc golf course expansion at Forty Fort Sports Complex, $39,000
• Luzerne County Historical Society, Swetland Homestead and Edward Darling House public access and site improvements, $40,000
• Hanover Recreation Club, handball park renovation, $28,000
Holiday
County government offices will be closed Monday for Columbus Day.