Luzerne County Council to vote on division head confirmation Tuesday

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Luzerne County Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on confirming a new judicial services and records division head Tuesday, according to the voting agenda.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo is expected to release information on the nominee before Tuesday’s meeting.

The division head position is open because Joan Hoggarth retired May 20. Crocamo had appointed county Assistant Solicitor Paula Radick as acting division head.

This division head oversees the deeds, wills, sheriff, coroner and civil/criminal court records departments in addition to the county records storage facility in Hanover Township.

The agenda said council will meet and interview the nominee during a 5 p.m. executive session prior to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. voting meeting. The position was advertised at $96,862 annually.

Tuesday’s council meeting is at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for the remote attendance option are posted on council’s online meetings section at luzernecounty.org.

Tax break

Council members are set to vote Tuesday on a tax break request for the construction of two industrial properties totaling 802,732 square feet in Hazle Township.

Council had removed Flint Development’s tax break request from its voting agenda in March largely because some council members raised concerns about the percentage of real estate taxes that would be forgiven.

Flint sought the break on two adjacent parcels in the Humboldt Industrial Park under the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program for blighted properties, which means the property owner pays real estate taxes on the land throughout the break and receives a discount on taxes for the new development.

The developer first sought a 90% abatement on new construction the first seven years, 80% in the eighth year, 70% in the ninth and 60% in the tenth and final year.

It revised the request to these percentages, starting with the first year and ending with the tenth: 90%, 87.5%, 85%, 82.5%, 80%, 75%, 70%, 65%, 60% and 55%.

In yet another alteration responding to council feedback, its latest request was a flat 80% forgiveness of county taxes for 10 years on new construction.

Councilman Jimmy Sabatino said Friday another revision is in the works because he and several others would still not support the latest request. The new proposal will be 80% the first seven years and then 70%, 60% and 50% in the final three years, he said.

“Luzerne County is open for development, but we are going to take a close look at all requests for tax breaks,” Sabatino said.

American Rescue

Mirroring other requests in recent months, three outside entities are seeking council approval to extend their deadlines to complete projects with county-allocated federal American Rescue Plan Act funding — Sugarloaf Township, Larksville and The Foot and Ankle Center.

According to the agenda and past reports:

Sugarloaf Township was earmarked $35,500 to fund a micro-grant program for small business and nonprofits and is seeking an extension to Aug. 30.

Larksville was allocated $400,000 for stormwater infrastructure upgrades and is requesting a new deadline of Nov. 15.

The Foot and Ankle Center, listed under Michael C. Baloga, was approved for $63,300 to upgrade office equipment and purchase personal protective equipment. It is seeking a Nov. 29 deadline.

Hazle Township also is asking to alter its budget, without exceeding its $2 million earmark, to complete stormwater improvements and repave roads in the Humboldt Industrial Park.

Audit presentation

Baker Tilly is scheduled to present its 2023 county audit report to council during Tuesday’s work session, which follows the voting meeting.

Butler Township land

Also on Tuesday’s work session is a proposed subdivision that will be required to appraise and sell residential-zoned property the county owns in Butler Township.

The parcels are in the vicinity of West Foothills Drive, South Old Turnpike Road and South Hunter Highway.

In total, the county owns approximately 530 acres in the township because it operated the Kis-Lyn work camp for juvenile delinquents from 1912 to 1965.

Two tracts cannot be sold and must be sectioned off because the county is locked into long-term leases for a youth camp (17.8 acres) and the Keystone Job Corps Center, which operates a federally funded, residential educational/vocational program on 122.9 acres, officials have said.

The land earmarked for sale also would not include a section identified by outside entities as a possible plant location to treat pollution from the Jeddo Mine Drainage Tunnel, officials have said.

Palmer statue

Council also will discuss a proposal already approved by council’s Act 13 Committee to use $48,610 of the county’s natural-gas recreation funding to restore a statue of Ellen Webster Palmer so it can be returned to the county courthouse lawn.

The 1,200-pound marble statue, which depicts Palmer flanked by a breaker boy and young miner, has significant damage caused by weather, acid rain exposure, vandalism and other factors, officials said. It was moved off site around 2007.

Palmer established the Boys’ Industrial Association in Wilkes-Barre in the 1890s to educate and provide social activities for working children. She spent evenings teaching boys after they labored at coal mines during the day.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.