Commissioners approve property tax breaks for veterans, spouses

Sep. 21—Fully disabled veterans won't have to pay Lackawanna County property taxes on their homes, even if they didn't serve during wartime.

The county commissioners voted 3-0 Wednesday to approve the tax waiver. All three approved the same waiver for the spouses of veterans killed in action.

Both waivers end when the veterans' spouses die.

David Eisele, county director of veterans affairs, said the county has about 15 veterans designated as 100% disabled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and four spouses of soldiers killed in action.

County officials didn't have a precise figure for how much revenue the tax break will cost the county, but acknowledged it's probably a few thousand dollars.

"It's minimal," Eisele said.

The county property tax is 63.92 mills. On 19 homes assessed at an average of $12,000 a year, the tax collected is $14,574. The 2022 county budget calls for property tax collection of almost $86.7 million this year.

Under state law, honorably discharged veterans who are fully disabled because of their military service and served during wartime are already eligible for waivers of all their property taxes. The county waivers apply only to county property taxes, not school district or local taxes.

James Kuchwara, commander of Theodore J. Wint Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 25 in Scranton, thanked the commissioners for approving the waivers.

In other business, the commissioners:

—Introduced an ordinance that will allow people who just bought homes to avoid paying penalties and interest on unpaid property taxes if they didn't get a tax bill on time. The commissioners are expected to approve the ordinance at their next meeting.

—Adopted an emergency ordinance allowing the replacement of 318 feet of sewer piping on Bald Mountain Road in Taylor near McDade Park. County Director of Parks and Recreation Art Moran said the county discovered the collapsed pipe June 30 and cleared a temporary path for sewage to flow. The county has not hired a contractor, but estimates the work will cost about $69,000, Moran said.

—Approved two applications for state local share account grants. They are for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7963 in Archbald's Eynon section, $26,000, to replace flooring, and the Old Forge Lions Little League, $187,000 to install new lighting for the field at Pagnotti Park.

—Heard Commissioner Debi Domenick warn of the potential for fentanyl distribution to children through colorful pills that look like candy. Known as rainbow fentanyl, Domenick said schools and local governments must begin making people aware of their existence.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning about the pills Aug. 30, calling it "a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults."

Domenick said she read an online story of a nurse practitioner who reported 11 fentanyl deaths in a 24-hour period, six of them in children younger than 15.

One child ate "a piece of candy, thought it was a Sweet Tart, but it was fentanyl and she died," Domenick said.

She called the trend "really disturbing."

"These look like candy," she said. "You wouldn't know it wasn't. Halloween is around the corner."

—Approved three security-related contracts with Keystone Fire and Security of North Wales. A $47,630 contract will add video cameras to the county roads and bridges building; a $20,872 contract will add cameras to the adult probation department; a $952,244 contract will add video cameras at the county's four parks, including license-plate recognition cameras.

—Approved a $51,669.80 contract with Johnson Controls to add and upgrade cameras in the county government center and an $8,070.59 contract with Johnson to create electronic access to the county veterans affairs office.

—Approved an $8,000 contract with Forerunner Technologies Inc. for technical support for software on the county's servers and related equipment.

—Approved a maintenance service agreement with Frontier for phone lines for the county Department of Emergency Services, Emergency Management Agency and the Government Center. The cost is $250 for each.

—Approved internet service through Charter Communications Operating LLC for the county Drug and Alcohol Programs' offices in Montrose. The office also serves Susquehanna County. The charge is $99 for installation and $139.98 a month.

—Approved an application for a $62,740.12 state Department of Transportation grant meant to target aggressive driving.

—Approved a $44,850 contract with Essential Management Solutions of Pottsville and another for $27,500 with geographIT/EBA Engineering of Lancaster for upgrades to the county 911 center's geographic information system.

The commissioners also approved a related system professional services and analysis contract of $107,138 with GeoComm.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.