Luzerne County Council set to vote on tax break, home rule study referendum this week

Luzerne County Council faces some weighty decisions Tuesday in a full agenda prefaced with three public hearings.

Topics up for a vote include a tax break request for a massive Hazleton area development project, a proposed referendum asking 2024 primary election voters if they want to convene a government study commission and a recommended revamping of employee payroll processing.

Council won’t be voting on a request for $3 million toward a hotel/convention center project at the former Hotel Sterling site because the developer requested more time to compile responses to council questions.

In the subsequent work session, council is set to discuss (but not yet approve) the leasing of space in Hazleton City Hall to reactivate a southern county annex.

The hearings, voting meeting and work session are held at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for remote attendance posted under council’s online meetings section at luzernecounty.org.

Public hearings

The first public hearing at 5 p.m. is for citizen comment on the proposed 2024 budget that was released Oct. 10. Council will be reviewing the budget at several sessions in coming weeks, with the first during Tuesday’s work session.

No real estate tax increase is proposed in the $164.5 million budget, which is posted under the budget/finance department section at luzernecounty.org.

Next up is a 5:15 p.m. public hearing about an ordinance that would amend this year’s budget to fund the $106,508 design of temporary traffic improvements intended to reduce congestion in West Pittston and Pittston caused by closure of the Luzerne County-owned Firefighters’ Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River, commonly known as the Water Street crossing.

Traffic on the nearby state-owned Spc. Dale J. Kridlo Bridge (Fort Jenkins) has increased dramatically since the Water Street span closed in 2021. The state agreed to assume responsibility for the design and construction to replace both bridges, but completion will take years, officials said.

Council is set to adopt this ordinance in Tuesday’s voting meeting.

Finally, a 5:30 p.m. public hearing seeks input on council’s planned Tuesday passage of a government study commission referendum.

The elected study commission would have to examine the county’s current home rule structure and decide if it wants to prepare and recommend changes. If so, the commission would be free to recommend alterations to the existing charter, an entirely new charter or a return to the prior three-commissioner/row officer structure that was replaced by home rule’s 2012 implementation.

Voters would ultimately have to approve a commission recommendation for it to take effect.

A fourth 5:45 p.m. public hearing on the allocation for the project at the Hotel Sterling site was cancelled.

The voting meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m.

Tax break

Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services is seeking a real estate tax break for a 1,740-acre project on mine-scarred land that will be named the Crossroads East Business Park.

Primarily along Interstate 81 in Hazle Township, the project would add approximately 36 buildings, collectively measuring 14.64 million square feet.

This break would be under the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program for blighted properties. As required under this program, the property owner must continue to pay taxes on the land throughout the break and receive a discount on taxes for the new development.

Mericle is requesting 100% county tax exemption on new construction for a decade.

Developer Rob Mericle told council his company will continue focusing on attracting manufacturing tenants to the county at the new development.

Time clock/payroll

The administration proposes using a portion of interest earned on federal American Rescue Plan funds for an upgrade of its New World Management System, which has been primarily used for financial records.

The county currently uses Kronos Inc., New World and ADP to process payroll.

With the proposed training and software upgrade, those tasks can all be handled through New World, saving the county $150,000 annually starting in 2024, county Interim Budget/Finance Division Head Mary Roselle told council earlier this month.

The upgrade will cost up to $250,000.

Roselle said the administration wants to use a portion of the annual savings to hire a payroll supervisor. The county currently has only one worker handling all payroll, which is “not a great safeguard,” she said.

The plan also calls for a new time clock program using a badge, eliminating the Kronos biometric readers that prior commissioners had purchased in 2010.

Hazleton annex

The work session agenda says the administration wants to lease office space at Hazleton City Hall, located on Church Street (Route 309), for $6,450 per month, or $77,400 annually.

The lease would start Jan. 1, 2024 and expire the end of 2026.

The administration is expected to release more details about the plan before Tuesday’s work session.

Space will be available in Hazleton City Hall because the city is relocating the police department to another property through funding from the American Rescue Plan.