A new $15 fee will be added to deeds and mortgages recorded in Luzerne County to fund the creation of a blight demolition fund, County Council unanimously decided Tuesday.
State Act 152 of 2016 authorized counties to impose the fee to combat derelict properties that depreciate neighboring property values and jeopardize the public’s health, safety, and welfare, council’s agenda said.
A total of 9,279 deeds and 8,682 mortgages were recorded in the county in 2025, which would have generated $269,415 if the fee had been in effect last year, the administration said.
The Luzerne County Association of Realtors had submitted a letter to council expressing concerns about the fee and urging consideration of the “potential unintended consequences,” particularly on seniors, first-time homebuyers, and other “vulnerable populations.”
A public hearing on the fee was held before the meeting, but no comments were made.
Thirty of the state’s 67 counties have enacted the fee, according to a chart attached to the agenda.
Council also unanimously voted Tuesday to:
• Amend the county zoning ordinance to require a buffer yard of at least 30 feet when new industrial development abuts residential areas.
• Amend the county’s Subdivision/Land Development Ordinance, known as SALDO, to require developers of large-scale projects on public transportation routes to seek input from the county Transportation Authority or Hazleton Public Transit so the plans incorporate suitable accommodations for buses and their passengers, including school buses.
• Approve new contracts with the AFSCME-represented Residual and Court-Related unions.
• Earmark $240,000 of the county’s Marcellus Shale natural-gas recreation funding so it can be awarded to municipalities and nonprofits for recreation and conservation projects, including parks and trails. Once parameters are approved, the county will announce the opportunity and start accepting applications.
A council majority also selected Council member Joanna Bryn Smith and Council Vice Chairwoman Brittany Stephenson to serve on the county Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement, which makes recommendations to council on the use of opioid litigation settlement funds.
In addition, council Chairman Jimmy Sabatino said he will serve in the commission seat reserved for the council chair or the council chair’s designee.
Council had voted earlier this month to increase the number of council members on the commission from one to three. Councilman John Lombardo previously served as the council representative.