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Healthcare costs and fading COVID-19 funds drive NEPA and Central Pa.’s 2025 taxes

As tax season approaches, Northeast and Central Pa start the year with new property taxes.
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Many residents of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania will start the year with new property taxes.

Residents in 11 counties across the region will see higher property taxes in 2025 as health insurance costs rise amid dwindling pandemic-era funds.

Monroe County property owners face a 37% tax increase — the highest jump in the region. Taxpayers in eight counties avoided any increases into the new year, many at the cost of county departments and services.

Several commissioners said they stretched their county's cash flow by cutting jobs in the new year and taking on a more fiscally conservative budget.

Updated property taxes went into effect Jan. 1.

Property tax rates vary greatly by county, due in part to the age of property assessment data. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 in assessed value.

For example, if your property’s assessed value is $100,000 and the millage rate is 16 mills, you would owe the county $1,600 in taxes.

Counties entering 2025 with over a 10% tax hike

Carbon County

  • Population: 65,458, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $83 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 3 mills from 13 to 16 mills.
  • Expect a 23% tax increase.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $160.

Chairman Mike Sofranko named rising health insurance as the county’s main reason for raising taxes. Insurance costs rose by 11.5% in 2024 and Carbon needs around $2.6 million more dollars this year to cover the difference.

He added the county is nearly finished with its COVID-19 aid, which limits the county’s cash flow and lowers its S&P 500 credit rating.

The board plans to take out a tax anticipation note (TAN) for around $7 million to cover administrative costs for early 2025, stop hiring new full-time employees and increase weekend county parking lot costs from $15 to $25, said Sofranko.

Lackawanna County

  • Population: 216,123, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $167 million operating budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 22.31 mills, from 67.67 mills to 89.98 mills.
  • Expect a 33% increase.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $889.80.

Lackawanna is in the middle of a contentious reassessment and residents attacked commissioners Bill Gaughan and Matt McGloin's choice to increase taxes as a way to balance the county’s budget.

"No one takes joy in a significant tax increase," said Gaughan in an Oct. meeting with residents. He blamed previous commissioners who relied on budget surpluses and other one-time revenue sources to balance finances.

The county started 2024 with $18.5 million in unpaid bills and only $6 million to cover them, added Gaughan.

Commissioner Chris Chermak, the board’s sole Republican, voted against the hike and proposed a budget with a smaller 6.3% hike.

Monroe County

  • Population: 166,053, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $147.1 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 1.5 mills from 3.9773 to 5.4773 mills.
  • Expect a 37% increase.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $54.77.

Commissioner David Parker said the county raised taxes for three main reasons: maintaining healthcare, wages and to finish building the county courthouse.

The county budgeted for 50% higher healthcare costs. The county had not increased its healthcare budget line for 12 years, said Parker.

The county's 2025 budget also added about a million dollars to pay employees. Parker said the county did a salary study that found that Monroe needed to raise its wages to be more competitive with surrounding counties of a similar size. That $1 million added about a 10th of a mill to the tax increase.

He added that the county raised taxes to finish paying off the county's expanded courthouse. Parker was not on the board when commissioners voted for the expansion, he said.

Northumberland County

  • Population: 90,128, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $91.36 million operating budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 5 mills, from 25 to 30 mills.
  • Expect a 20% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $300.

Pike County

  • Population: 61,247, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $57.8 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 3 mills, from 24.99 to 27.99 mills.
  • Expect a 12% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $279.90.

Schuylkill County

  • Population: 143,786, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $87.4 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 3.25 mills, from 15.8 to 19.23 mills.
  • Expect a 22% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $192.30.

Commissioner Gary Hess said healthcare costs rose by 11% and the county's pending reassessment drove the board to raise taxes. The county was “forced into a reassessment by a court action which we've been fighting since 2018, said Hess, adding that court costs would be more expensive than finishing the reassessment.

The last time the county reassessed its property values was in the late 1970s, he said.

Susquehanna County

  • Population: 38,109, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $34 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 2 mills, from 12.83 to 14.83 mills.
  • Expect a 15.6% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $148.30.

Tioga County

  • Population: 40,840, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $44 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 0.75 mills, from 3.32 to 4.07 mills.
  • Expect a 22.6% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $40.70.

Counties entering 2025 with under 10% tax hike

Montour County

  • Population: 17,860 according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $10.8 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 0.24 mills, from 4 to 4.24 mills.
  • Expect a 6% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $42.40.

Snyder County

  • Population: 39,717, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $20.8 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 2 mills, from 21.8125 to 23.8125 mills.
  • Expect a 9% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $238.13.

The last time the county raised its real estate tax was in 2016, according to a press release from county commissioners.

Wayne County

  • Population: 51,262, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $41.8 million budget.
  • Millage rate increased by 0.243 mills, from 3.240 to 3.483 mills.
  • Expect a 7.5% tax hike.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $34.83.

Counties with no tax increase

Bradford County 

  • Population: 59,695, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $71.9 million budget
  • Millage rate remains at 10.43 mills.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $104.30.

Commissioner Zackary Gates, the lone Democrat, pushed to raise taxes to avoid a startling hike in the future. He voted against the budget.

“So, I just have serious reservations about adopting a budget that is not appropriately planned, because when [it] bites, it's going to come and it's going to bite hard," said Gates.

Commissioners Doug McLinko and Daryl Miller defended the budget and argued higher taxes would disproportionately hurt seniors and working families.

McLinko added that departments, specifically the county's library, which has been at the center of controversy, need to cut down on resources in 2025.

Clinton County

  • Population: 37,607, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $34 million budget.
  • Millage rate remains at 6.7 mills.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $67.

Columbia County

  • Population: 65,439, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $36.4 million budget.
  • Millage rate remains at 14.635 mills.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $146.35.

Luzerne County

  • Population: 327,388, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $404.7 million budget.
  • Millage rate remains at 6.3541 mills.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $63.54.

Mary Roselle, division head of Luzerne's budget and finance department, said the county "maximized" its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the pandemic by putting it into revenue generating accounts.

Lycoming County

  • Population: 112,724, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $128.7 million budget.
  • Millage rate remains at 6.5 mills.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $65.

Lycoming’s 2025 budget is around $43,600,000 smaller than last year.

Mya Toon, the county's new director of financial management, said in an email the seismic shift was the "accumulation of many factors."

"Raising taxes will be my last resort until all financial due diligence is done. I feel strongly we need better solutions and better ways to improve, not higher taxes," Toon wrote, reflecting on her first year as director.

She said the county tightened its budget in "acknowledging the conclusion of access to ARPA funds" and cutting down "unnecessary and discretionary expenses and prioritizing needs over wants." She added that county departments are working together to solve budgeting issues.

Commissioner Mark Mussina said crafting the budget “wasn’t a fun process” but thanked his staff at the Dec. 19 meeting.

“Telling people that we don't have money and we're gonna have to make cuts and making people really tighten up is never good news to share,” said Mussina.

Sullivan County

  • Population: 5,834, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $7 million budget.
  • Millage rate remains at 4.8 mills.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $48.

Union County

  • Population: 42,042, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $20.9 million budget.
  • Millage rate remains at 4.72.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $47.2.

Wyoming County 

  • Population: 25,902, according to 2023 U.S. Census
  • Passed a $18.6 million budget.
  • Millage rate remains at 25.8486.
  • For every $10,000 in assessed value, property owners owe $258.48.

Lackawanna, Northumberland and Carbon counties are in the process of reassessment, which will affect property owners' taxes when completed.

WVIA News Reporter Chase Bottoff contributed to this report.

Isabela Weiss is a storyteller turned reporter from Athens, GA. She is WVIA News's Rural Government Reporter and a Report for America corps member. Weiss lives in Wilkes-Barre with her fabulous cats, Boo and Lorelai.

You can email Isabella at isabelaweiss@wvia.org
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