Residents press commissioners on reassessment transparency as county appoints auxiliary assessment board members

Multiple residents at the May 21 Lackawanna County commissioners meeting urged greater transparency in the county’s property reassessment process and appealed for easier public access to comparable property data before formal appeals begin.

Joe Healy of Scranton said he received a reassessment notice assigning a value near $350,000 and described discrepancies between the assessor contractor’s comparable-sales data and public online information. He said the contractor’s listing on Zillow contained inaccurate information, and asked the county to make contractor comparables or other assessment data accessible so taxpayers can prepare appeals. Healy also asked about timing and whether the reassessment would affect tax bills for 2026 or later years.

County officials and commissioners responded with procedural details in the public record. County staff said assessment contractors will review submitted homeowner information and that property owners should receive updated correspondence before the formal appeal period. Officials stated that a formal appeal period begins Aug. 1 and that final valuations — after appeals and reviews — are expected to be finalized and posted publicly by January (staff cited a November 15 finalization date before public posting on Jan. 1). Several speakers and commissioners warned that a successful appeal will not retroactively change tax bills already issued for the immediately following tax year; officials explained that corrections made after tax bills are issued affect subsequent tax years, not the tax bill for the year when the valuation was first applied.

During the meeting commissioners also approved appointments to the Lackawanna County Auxiliary Board of Assessment and Appeals, with terms beginning immediately and expiring Dec. 31, 2025. Appointees named in the resolution include Wayne Evans, Robert Pitschko, Robert Foy Sr., Don Hart, Richard McDonald, Jacob Wetland, Karen Kelly Saar, Karen Romensky, Michelle Williams, Mark Schultz and John Martins; alternates listed include Greg Shipback, Timothy Habib and Dennis Mazzaroli. Commissioners said the appointees were selected from resumes and letters of interest and that candidates needed to commit to a multi-day hearing schedule during the reassessment appeals period.

Why it matters: reassessment outcomes affect property valuations used to compute future tax bills; access to assessment data and a clear appeals schedule are central to residents’ ability to challenge valuations and plan for tax liabilities.

Direct quote: “Start doing the work now. It's too important to the county and the county's taxpayers. You're not gonna have time for training wheels,” public commenter Joan Hodowan said to prospective candidates for the vacant commissioner seat, urging preparation for budget work. Public commenter Joe Healy said, “I'm looking for the other citizenry…they're not gonna get everybody's. You're only gonna get the comparables that you got.”