Luzerne County’s main annual August free-and-clear delinquent tax auction generated $461,084, according to a post-auction report.
Compiled by county tax-claim operator Elite Revenue Solutions LLC, the report said bidders purchased 81 of the 120 listed properties.
Separate from purchases through competitive auction bidding, two land banks acquired seven properties through their trump bid authority, which removed the properties from the sale.
Authorized by 2012 state legislation, land banks take possession of rundown parcels and attempt to get them back into productive hands. With trump bids, land banks have authority to acquire free-and-clear sale properties by paying the starting bid.
The North East Pennsylvania Land Bank Authority acquired five properties, the report said — two on York Avenue in Avoca and three others on Pettebone Street in Duryea, Anthracite Street in Exeter and Harriet Street in Plains Township. The Lower South Valley Land Bank purchased two parcels on Lehigh Street and Shiber Lane, both in Wilkes-Barre.
The highest purchase in the auction was $65,000 for a property at 619 W. State St. in Larksville, purchased by Delaware County bidder Alexander Schwartz, the report said.
Information on county tax auctions is available on Elite Revenue’s website at luzernecountytaxclaim.com.
Security guards
The county is seeking proposals from qualified and professionally trained armed security guard services for the county-owned Bernard C. Brominski Building on North Street and the Courthouse Annex on North River Street, both in Wilkes-Barre.
According to the solicitation on the purchasing section at luzernecounty.org, weekday security services would be required from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Brominski building and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the annex.
The guards must be trained and proficient in the operation of security screening equipment and would be responsible for detecting and preventing weapons and contraband items from entering these facilities, it said.
Responses are due Sept. 9.
State budget
During last week’s work session, several council members expressed strong support for a resolution drafted by Councilman Harry Haas that urges the state legislature and governor to “prioritize their responsibilities and work collaboratively to finalize a budget without further delay.”
The legislature and governor should not adjourn until a budget is in place, “ensuring the fiscal stability of counties and protecting our mutual constituents from undue financial strain,” it said.
Council plans to vote on the resolution at its next meeting on Sept. 9.
The resolution says counties, school districts and municipalities must enact timely budgets annually and points out the state has missed at least a dozen budget deadlines in the last 25 years.
The county is struggling with funding delays due to the state’s budget stalemate, with the greatest impact on human service departments, county officials have said. For example, the county’s Children, Youth and Families agency was counting on a $6.4 million state funding allocation in mid-August that is now on hold, officials said.
Trail authorized
County council unanimously voted last week to allow a wellness and inclusive trail in county-owned property the CAN DO Community Foundation leases from the county in Butler Township.
The parcel is part of approximately 530 township acres the county owns because it had operated the Kis-Lyn work camp for juvenile delinquents from 1912 to 1965.
The 18-acre portion leased by the foundation houses the Ferrwood Music Camp. The property was primarily used for summer workshops to encourage interest in musical instruments and to conduct concerts, the agenda said. More recently, Ferrwood has also served as a camp for the visually impaired as well as an inclusive camp operated by Camp Orchard Hill, it said.
The proposed trail will wrap around the entire camp parcel and be available to both camps and the general public, it said.
The foundation will cover all costs related to the trail, it said.
Lease modification
Council also unanimously approved a lease modification with the federal government for county-owned property on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming, near the Wyoming Valley Airport.
The county has long leased the property to the federal government for military use, and the current agreement includes optional renewal terms through Sept. 30, 2028.
A Department of the Navy representative recently sent county Manager Romilda Crocamo a letter seeking the county’s “best and final offer” for the lease, citing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency February cost efficiency initiative and subsequent Secretary of Defense mandate to reduce Department of Defense lease costs by 30%.
If the county’s offer is deemed inadequate, the federal government may exercise any available lease options, including termination, to meet the required cost reduction, the letter said.
The approved alteration will reduce the lease rental by 25%, the agenda said. The current lease rental is $49,078 per year, according to an online copy of the document.
D&L trail
In another unanimous vote, council agreed to co-sponsor a state grant request with the nonprofit Anthracite Scenic Trails Association for a stretch of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor trail in the county.
The trail association already has state grant funding to complete the first phase of the Black Diamond trail section from the Mountain Top Hose Company in Fairview Township to Laurel Run borough, which is set to be bid out later this year, it said.
Additional grant funding is needed for the second phase to construct a trail head, the agenda said.
If awarded, funding would come from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside grant program, which requires a municipal co-sponsor, it said.
No county funding will be required if the grant is approved, the agenda said.
AI
A video recording of the county’s July artificial intelligence town hall has been posted on the main page at luzernecounty.org for those interested.
Vito DeLuca, county chief artificial intelligence officer and first assistant solicitor, conducted the town hall and discussed steps underway to apply AI in county government.