Pocono News Section

Luzerne County Budget Passes

Luzerne County Budget Passes - Friday, February 12, 2010 at 5:56PM EST

Friday, Feb 12, 2010 @ 05:56pm EST

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Luzerne County passed it’s yearly budget Friday morning. It includes a 15-percent tax increase which breaks down to about 68 more dollars a year. That's if you own a home assessed at $100,000. Other headlines out of this budget include 13 county employees laid off and Moon Lake in Plymouth Township closing.

The budget passed by a two to one vote with minority commissioner Steve Urban voting no. He said there is still an excess of county employees even after the 13 layoffs. Urban thinks more cuts need to be made there first rather than raise taxes. According to county leaders, this is the first budget in decades that didn't require borrowing to make up for losses, a possible key to knock down the county deficit.