Dallas City News

The policy to purchase unused Luzerne County-owned property is up for discussion at Thursday’s council Real Estate Committee meeting.

Committee Chairwoman LeeAnn McDermott said she scheduled the discussion because the policy came up during last week’s council meeting, and she welcomes proposed policy changes from her colleagues.

Council voted last week to sell a county-owned Dallas Township property to Dustin Switzer for $1,000. Council previously authorized Switzer’s advertisement of the sale as required by council’s policy, and no objections were raised within 10 days. Assessed at $21,400, the 0.143-acre parcel is on Route 309.

Councilman Kevin Lescavage provided the lone vote against the sale, saying the purchase price per square foot equates to the cost of aluminum foil and that selling land at such a low price is “crazy.”

McDermott said nobody else has expressed an interest in the parcel, and the sale is part of the county’s ongoing efforts to get unused property back on the tax rolls. The township lot is too small to build a structure in compliance with zoning setback requirements, she said.

Lescavage said the land should be put out to bid, but McDermott said that step was not required under the policy.

Several council members agreed a policy revision is warranted going forward but said council already authorized Switzer’s advertising of the purchase and should honor the sale. The remaining nine council members in attendance approved the purchase.

As a possible future policy change, Councilman Jimmy Sabatino suggested setting minimum purchase prices at a percentage of the assessed value.

Councilwoman Brittany Stephenson serves on the real estate committee with McDermott, Sabatino and Lescavage.

Thursday’s committee meeting is at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for the remote attendance option will be posted in council’s online public meetings section at luzernecounty.org.

Repository

Council voted last week to sell 41 tax-delinquent repository properties.

It removed one property from consideration due to concerns raised by a Kingston resident that the Main Street parcel is necessary to access his property. The man said he planned to submit a purchase offer.

Properties land in the repository if they do not sell in the initial upset auction or subsequent free-and-clear auction.

Sales are encouraged because the county has amassed approximately 1,000 repository properties that are in limbo, with no active owners to maintain and pay taxes on them. While some are sold each year, new ones are added after each sale.

Legal settlement

Council unanimously approved a settlement to resolve planned litigation by Dale Swain against the county.

Swain initiated a tort claim alleging the county failed to provide care to him and injured him by allegedly having an unhealthy tree on the side of a county roadway that fell and impacted his car.

The approved settlement was $35,000. The county must pay $10,000, while the rest will be covered by the county’s liability insurance.

Auditor

Council selected Clifton Larson Allen LLP to complete the 2024 audit.

The county’s home rule charter requires council to change auditors at least every four years. Baker Tilly had been retained in September 2020 and recently wrapped up its fourth annual audit covering 2023.

Council’s Budget, Finance and Audit Committee recommended Clifton Larson Allen.

Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC also had submitted a proposal.

Butler Township

Ownership of county-owned South and North Beisels Road to Butler Township will be transferred to the municipality, council agreed last week.

County officials have been urging municipalities to take over county infrastructure.

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