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Commissioners clash over property reassessment, budget shortfall and delay filling third seat
Summary
Commissioners Chris Chermack and Bill Gahan exchanged competing views on the countywide property reassessment by Tyler Technologies, the county budget shortfall and a seven-month delay to replace the former commissioner; Gahan defended the reassessment timetable and warned that pausing it could reinstate litigation and create "chaos."
A lengthy exchange at the Sept. 17 Lackawanna County commissioners meeting focused on the county's property reassessment, a disputed seven-month delay in filling a vacant commission seat, and concerns about a looming budget shortfall.
Commissioner Chris Chermack criticized the reassessment process conducted by Tyler Technologies, saying valuations contained widespread errors and called for extending formal appeals by six months. Chermack said staff and hearing officers were reporting mistakes in hearings and raised examples of apparent valuation anomalies, including his contention that an appraisal for the Steamtown Mall was far lower than the assessor's newly reported assessment. Chermack said the reassessment could "devastate seniors and those on fixed incomes" and asked for safeguards, additional outreach, tax caps and protections for…
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