Pocono News Section

Luzerne County Budget Vote Preview

Luzerne County Budget Vote Preview - Friday, February 12, 2010 at 05:57AM EST

Reported by: Mark Hiller
Friday, Feb 12, 2010 @ 05:57am EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Luzerne County Commissioners are expected to make a controversial tax hike official, Friday morning.
It's all part of the county's 2010 budget which commissioners are expected to approve at a 10:00 a. m. meeting..

Commissioners amended the budget on January 29th to hike property taxes by 15-percent bringing the overall spending plan to $127.5 million.
The vote was on party lines with democratic majority commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Thomas Cooney reluctantly voting yes while Republican Steve Urban voted no.

The county milage rate will increase from 4.5347 to 5.215 mills.
The breakdown in dollars means the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 will pay about $68 more a year in county property taxes.

Increased taxes weren't the only budget concessions.
13-employees were also laid off.
That meant cuts in some services and closing Moon Lake Park in Plymouth Township.

The Luzerne County budget process took longer than the previous spending plan and that means more fallout.
It caused a delay in mailing county and municipal tax bills.
The delays could be as long as a month and cost the county and its 76-municipalities thousands of dollars.