Wilkes-Barre has ended its historic reign with the largest property tax base of Luzerne County’s 76 municipalities, new county data shows.
Fortified by industrial and residential growth, Hazle Township has moved into the top spot, with a tax base of $1.46 billion, according to a county assessor’s office snapshot reading of all properties completed in November.
In comparison, the city’s tax base is now $1.41 billion.
Township officials had predicted years ago their base would surpass the city’s, largely due to continued expansion at the the Humboldt Industrial Park off Interstate 81. The township picked up $58.5 million in assessed value through new construction since the last reading, known as a certification, in June, a Times Leader analysis shows.
Township Supervisor Chairman Jim Montone said a new car dealership off the Airport Beltway also contributed to the tax base boost, which has helped the municipality avoid a tax increase for more than a decade.
“We are booming. It’s been great, and we have a lot more prospects,” Montone said.
Wilkes-Barre lost $8.3 million in assessed value since June. Value declines typically stem from demolition and reductions granted through assessment appeals, officials said. Wilkes-Barre is the only municipality which refused to use the county assessments after the 2009 reassessment, opting to rely on its own system of assessment for municipal taxes.
As the county seat, the city is home to more tax-exempt government offices, colleges and universities. However, the county statistics do not identify this dynamic as a reason for the latest reductions because both the number and assessed value of tax-exempt properties in the city decreased from June to November.
The June statistics for Wilkes-Barre: 987 tax-exempt properties assessed at $513.7 million. In November, the county reported 984 tax-exempt properties in the city with a value of $512.8 million.
County Assessment Director Anthony Alu said the findings are not surprising because many cities and boroughs are primarily landlocked.
“You wouldn’t expect a lot of growth in these municipalities that don’t have a lot of room to expand,” he said. “Some of the suburban communities have plenty of land for growth.”
Hazleton, the only city in the county’s southern half, is ranked third, with a tax base of $977.1 million, although it also sustained assessment loss totaling $10.1 million since June, the analysis shows.
Coming in fourth is Butler Township, a sprawling and largely residential municipality easily accessible from both Interstates 80 and 81, with a tax base of $817.5 million. The municipality’s base grew since June, picking up $2.79 million from construction.
Plains Township has the fifth largest base — $809.2 million — although it lost $1.46 million in assessment since June.
In all, 25 municipalities gained value since June, while 50 had reductions. Jeddo, a tiny borough near Freeland, remained the same, with a tax base of $3 million.
The net effect countywide was a tax base increase of $91.1 million since June, bringing the total to $20.14 billion. That increase equates to $523,500 in additional property tax revenue for the county based on the current tax rate.
County Assessment Director Anthony Alu said he usually compares the figures year-to-year for a more big-picture view. The county tax base grew $306.5 million since November 2015, his reports show.
With around 1,500 assessment appeals filed annually by property owners seeking reductions, the goal is to pick up enough new property to offset losses, Alu said.
“I’m quite proud of our progress. We’re in a pretty good place,” Alu said.
County Manager C. David Pedri said the overall growth is a positive sign.
“I believe this is a wonderful place to work and live and believe others are seeing that,” Pedri said. “This growth is really an accomplishment and shows Luzerne County is getting better every day.”
