Property Reassessment

reassessment

November 23, 2008

Figures show tax value shift

Calculations indicate how much more or less to county each municipality must pay.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

New calculations show which municipalities on the whole are experiencing the most shifting of value because of Luzerne County’s reassessment.

The figures, compiled by reassessment company 21st Century Appraisals Inc., analyze how much more or less each municipality will be contributing toward county government taxes (not school and local) under the new tax base.

Tim Barr, of 21st Century, said the figures also indicate which areas have realized the biggest real estate value gains since the last reassessment in 1965.

Harveys Lake has the largest increase – 120 percent – followed by Penn Lake Park, at 78 percent.

The biggest drop occurred in Laflin, which will see a 19 percent decrease in overall county tax contributions. Wright Township came in second, with an 18-percent decrease.

It’s important to note that these percentages factor in all values for the municipality, which means that individual property owners may experience different percentage increases or decreases.

Here are the other municipalities that went up in value, based on their future county tax contributions, followed by the percentages:

Nuangola, 41; Lake Twp., 25; Lehman Twp., 24; Jeddo, 21; Pringle, 19; Fairmount Twp. and Ross Twp., 18; Jackson Twp., 16; Black Creek Twp., Franklin Twp., Luzerne, Shickshinny, Slocum Twp. and Union Twp., 15; Bear Creek Twp. and Huntington Twp., 14; New Columbus, 13; Dennison Twp., Exeter Twp. and Hunlock Twp., 12; Buck Twp., Dorrance Twp., Forty Fort, Plymouth Twp. and Bear Creek Village, 11; Avoca, Foster Twp. and Kingston Twp., 10; Swoyersville, 9; Conyngham Twp., Dallas, Duryea, Rice Twp. and West Pittston, 8; Courtdale and Newport Twp., 7; Ashley, 6; Nanticoke, 5; Nescopeck and Pittston, 4; Dallas Twp. and Sugar Notch, 3; Freeland, Larksville and Plymouth, 2; and West Wyoming, 1.

Four municipalities – Edwardsville, Kingston, Wyoming and White Haven – had zero change, which means they’ll be contributing about the same for county taxes on the whole.

On the flip side, here are the other municipalities that had overall decreases:

West Hazleton, -16; Conyngham, -15; Hanover Twp., -14; Pittston Twp., -12; Hazle Twp., Warrior Run and Yatesville, -11; Salem Twp., -9; Jenkins Twp. and Sugarloaf Twp., -8; Wilkes-Barre Twp., -7; Exeter, Laurel Run and Wilkes-Barre, -6; Hughestown and Nescopeck Twp., -5; Butler Twp. and Plains Twp., -4; Dupont, Hollenback Twp. and Hazleton, -3; and Fairview Twp., -2.

The percentages are subject to change in coming weeks as the county continues to flush out the impact of thousands of formal assessment appeal rulings set to be issued at the end of December.

For example, the Harveys Lake share of county taxes was projected to increase 133 percent when the new assessed values were originally issued, but assessment reductions since then have pulled back that percentage to 120.

Buck Township was originally second in increases at 108 percent when the original values were issued, but significant assessment reductions have lowered its hike to 11 percent.

In comparison, Wilkes-Barre Township originally had a 9 percent reduction in county tax contributions, but the reshifting from assessment appeals has now placed the township at -7 percent.

Barr also publicly released a breakdown of old and estimated new millage rates on Friday to help property owners figure out their new tax bills and understand that millage rates will be drastically reduced to comply with an anti-windfall reassessment mandate.

Taxing bodies may only increase revenue 10 percent in the year after reassessment, which means they must lower millage rates to compensate for the drastic rise from modernizing assessments.

old and new combined rates

Municipality	Old school/county/local millage rate combined	New estimated school/county/local millage rate combined
Ashley	418.9	18.457
Avoca	388.900	16.121
Black Creek Twp.	283.292	11.849
Bear Creek Twp.	391.900	16.531
Buck Twp.	394.900	16.641
Butler Twp.	278.292	11.735
Courtdale	422.900	16.644
Conyngham Borough	298.292	12.733
Conyngham Twp.	364.900	14.147
Dallas Twp.	360.900	13.949
Dallas Borough	373.900	14.416
Dorrance Twp.	292.200	12.021
Dennison Twp.	296.200	12.162
Duryea	393.900	16.330
Dupont	391.900	16.356
Exeter Borough	384.570	15.506
Exeter Twp.	383.570	15.276
Edwardsville	440.400	17.467
Fairmount Twp.	331.400	12.224
Fairview Twp.	303.200	12.519
Forty Fort	429.900	16.858
Freeland	307.292	12.863
Foster Twp.	284.292	11.910
Franklin Twp.	361.900	13.931
Hanover Twp.	415.900	18.688
Hazle Twp.	280.292	11.854
Hollenback Twp.	319.400	13.671
Hughestown	396.900	16.598
Hunlock Twp.	323.400	11.964
Huntington Twp.	323.400	11.958
Jackson Twp.	366.450	11.771
Jeddo	279.292	11.690
Jenkins Twp.	385.900	16.155
Kingston	412.900	16.346
Kingston Twp.	357.900	13.803
Laflin	421.900	18.028
Lake Twp.	358.450	11.472
Larksville	434.900	17.191
Laurel Run	421.900	17.826
Lehman Twp.	365.450	11.702
Luzerne	424.900	16.621
Nanticoke	388.400	15.079
Nescopeck	342.400	14.556
Nescopeck Twp.	337.400	14.446
New Columbus	325.400	12.033
Newport Twp.	381.900	14.800
Nuangola	298.200	12.132
Plymouth Borough	444.200	17.559
Plymouth Twp.	377.900	14.603
Plains Twp.	429.900	18.140
Pittston Twp.	366.900	15.312
Pringle	398.400	15.667
Rice Twp.	291.200	11.991
Ross Twp.	355.950	11.402
Salem Twp.	321.400	13.776
Shickshinny	345.400	12.728
Slocum Twp.	284.200	11.728
Sugarloaf Twp.	282.192	11.923
Swoyersville	410.900	16.174
Sugar Notch	407.900	18.064
Union Twp.	321.400	11.884
Warrior Run	407.900	18.251
West Hazleton	304.292	13.037
Wright Twp.	294.200	12.225
West Pittston	385.570	15.385
West Wyoming	386.570	15.509
Wyoming	386.570	15.520
White Haven	325.200	13.398
Wilkes-Barre Twp.	416.900	17.623
Yatesville	379.900	15.903
Hazleton	309.092	13.019
Pittston	366.900	15.312
Wilkes-Barre	391.900	16.531
Harveys Lake	379.450	11.731
Penn Lake Park	301.200	12.115
Bear Creek Village	396.900	16.714

NOTE: The municipal portion of tax millages was not factored into the before or after rates for Pittston Township, Wilkes-Barre City or Pittston City because figures were not available. Millage rates for these three municipalities include only school and county taxes.

How to use these numbers:

To calculate your future estimated tax bills, take your new assessed value, divide it by 1,000 and then multiply it by the new millage rate in the last column.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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