Property Reassessment

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Property taxes are $3,400 on a house worth $150,000 in Pittston city.

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But the tax bill would be $1,500 less if that same home was located in Lake Township.

The inequity stems from the varying tax rates imposed in the county’s 76 municipalities and 12 school districts because county taxes are the same in all municipalities – 4.5347 mills.

Town-by-town comparisons may now be made for 2009 because school districts recently approved their millage rates.

Pittston has the highest school/county/municipal millage rate – 22.7059 mills.

Lake Township has the lowest, with 12.6578 mills.

A mill is $1 tax for every $1,000 in assessed property.

Pittston City Clerk Ron Mortimer wasn’t surprised the city topped the list.

The city’s 5.85-mill portion is significantly higher than the other municipal tax rates. For example, the second-highest municipal rate is 2.4793 mills in Edwardsville.

Mortimer said the city has more expenses than many smaller municipalities because it has a full-time police force, seven full-time paid firefighters and in-house garbage collection.

“A lot of towns gave up collecting garbage and have to hire a private hauler,” Mortimer said.

While volunteer firefighters provide crucial assistance, the city also needs paid firefighters, he said.

“We have high-rise apartments. Someone has to be here all the time. That’s our concern,” he said.

The 1.7-square-mile city is landlocked, which means there are few opportunities for new construction to offset rising expenses, he said.

“We provide good services that come with a price. It’s something I think people deep down really prefer, though I’m sure some would disagree,” he said.

Five other municipalities have combined taxes over 21 mills: Ashley, Hanover Township, Plains Township, Sugar Notch and Warrior Run.

In addition to Lake Township, three municipalities have rates under 13 mills: Lehman Township, Ross Township and Harveys Lake.

To figure out their total tax bills, property owners must multiply their assessed value by the millage rate and then divide by 1,000.

Here are the combined millage totals, according to a newly released tally from the county Assessor’s Office:

Ashley, 21.7039; Avoca, 17.7559; Black Creek Twp., 13.78; Bear Creek Twp., 19.8078; Buck Twp., 19.4878; Butler Twp., 13.6589; Courtdale, 18.4447; Conyngham Borough, 14.6627; Conyngham Twp., 15.3412; Dallas Twp., 15.7045; Dallas Borough, 16.2545; Dorrance Twp., 13.3692; Dennison Twp., 13.4842; Duryea, 17.9559; Dupont, 17.9943; Exeter, 17.6543; Exeter Twp., 17.4; Edwardsville, 19.414; Fairmount Twp., 13.959; Fairview Twp., 13.8492; Forty Fort, 18.9047; Freeland, 14.8925; Foster Twp., 13.7887; Franklin Twp., 15.6941; Hanover Twp., 22.1819; Hazle Twp., 13.7827; Hollenback Twp., 14.6647; Hughestown, 18.2885; Hunlock Twp., 13.6859; Huntington Twp., 13.6359; Jackson Twp., 13.0001; Jeddo, 13.5687; Jenkins Twp., 17.8408; Kingston, 18.1987; Kingston Twp., 15.5669; Laflin, 20.9308; Lake Twp., 12.6578; Larksville, 18.9347; Laurel Run, 20.8349; Lehman Twp., 12.9197; Luzerne, 18.3871; Nanticoke, 16.8986; Nescopeck, 15.8117; Nescopeck Twp., 15.5147; New Columbus, 13.7059; Newport Twp., 15.9142; Nuangola, 13.4932; Plymouth Borough, 19.3047; Plymouth Twp., 15.8502; Plains Twp., 21.1366; Pittston Twp., 17.1059; Pringle, 17.3847; Rice Twp., 13.3092; Ross Twp., 12.5658; Salem Twp., 14.7487; Shickshinny, 14.4688; Slocum Twp., 13.0492; Sugarloaf Twp., 13.8577; Swoyersville, 17.9147; Sugar Notch, 21.4205; Union Twp., 13.5659; Warrior Run, 21.6239; West Hazleton, 15.084; Wright Twp., 13.6008; West Pittston, 17.6572; West Wyoming, 17.791; Wyoming, 17.8215; White Haven, 14.9492; Wilkes-Barre Twp., 20.6173; Yatesville, 17.4679; Hazleton, 15.0827; Pittston, 22.7059; *Wilkes-Barre, 19.3666; Harveys Lake, 12.9398; Penn Lake Park, 13.4492; Bear Creek Village, 19.5496.

*The municipal tax millage was not factored into the total for properties in Wilkes-Barre city because the city uses its own assessments for city taxes. The rate reported here includes only county and school taxes.