Most Lackawanna County property owners to see increase in school taxes

Jul. 11—A decision by the Valley View School Board 10 years ago helped avoid a tax increase this year.

With the Keystone Opportunity Zone status of the Invenergy plant in Jessup expiring, the district expects the property to bring in an additional $500,000 in revenue for the 2023-24 budget.

Other Lackawanna County districts won't see the same revenue boom and will turn to local taxpayers to fund rising salaries, health care and charter school costs.

A Times-Tribune review of district budgets found that of the 11 districts with at least one municipality in Lackawanna County and that have a fiscal year that began this month, seven raised taxes for this year.

Along with Valley View, Carbondale, Old Forge and Riverside did not raise taxes.

Scranton, which operates on a calendar year budget, raised taxes by 3.4% for the $216.5 million 2023 budget. School district budgets and their tax impact are:

Abington Heights: $56 million budget, 4.8% increase, from 127.08 to 133.18 mills. For a property assessed at $20,000, residents will pay $122 more this year. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.

Carbondale Area: $29.9 budget, 134 mills, no tax increase.

Dunmore: $25.8 million budget, 5.3% tax increase, to 144.49 mills. A property owner with an assessment of $10,000 will pay $73 more this year.

Forest City: $17.7 million budget, 2% tax increase. A Vandling property owner with an assessment of $7,000 will pay $14 more this year, for a total of 106.74 mills.

Lackawanna Trail: $23.58 million budget, 4.32% increase for Lackawanna County residents. The 7.89 mill increase, to 190.57 mills, means a homeowner with an assessment of $10,000 will pay $79 more this year. The Wyoming County millage rate is 92.16, a .46 mill increase from last year.

Lakeland: $27.8 million budget, a 5.3% tax increase, to 129.77 mills. A property owner with a $10,000 assessment will pay $65 more this year.

Mid Valley: $37.8 million budget, a 4.1% tax increase, to 134.1092 mills. A Dickson City resident, for example, with an assessment of $8,000, would pay an additional $42 this year.

North Pocono: $66.4 million budget, a 3.7% tax increase, to 158.8028 mills, for Lackawanna County residents. The one Wayne County municipality in the district, Lehigh Twp., will see a 35.6% decrease in mills, to 12.5, due to reassessment. Those residents will see tax bills increase or decrease based on new assessed values.

Old Forge: $17.3 million budget, 145.6227 mills, no tax increase.

Riverside: $31 million budget, 128.73 mills, no tax increase.

Valley View: $40.4 million budget, 129.79 mills, no tax increase.

Valley View School Director Curt Camoni sat on the board when it approved the tax break for the property, which later became home to the power plant.

"If we can't bring in the businesses, the larger tax revenue doesn't happen ... the economic development doesn't happen," he said.

The Old Forge School Board opted not to raise taxes this year, refusing to ask local taxpayers to once again make up for funding shortfalls from the state.

The district, already lacking opportunities offered by surrounding districts, will use federal COVID-19 funds to balance the budget. Old Forge continues to spend less per-student than nearly all other districts, while state funding hasn't caught up with changing needs and demographics.

Earlier this year the Commonwealth Court ruled the state's current funding system is unconstitutional, and a remedy could help Old Forge.

If a funding solution isn't found in two years, the district could be forced to implement mass layoffs and increase class sizes, Director Robert Notari said.

"We have a real problem," he said. "We're not providing for our students properly."

Carbondale, which has benefited from the state funding formula in recent years, avoided a tax increase and settled the teachers contract due to the increase in funds. Riverside, which has received numerous grants, managed to avoid a tax increase for the third straight year.

"There isn't a secret ingredient as unexpected, big ticket expenses can happen at any time," Superintendent Paul Brennan said. "However, I firmly believe that if you have a close eye on the expenses, have a plan to eliminate debt, are successful with grants, have a cohesive school board and a consistent superintendent and business manager you will be in the conversation."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct Lackawanna Trail's data.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.