Lackawanna County Land Bank approves preemptive purchase authority, three resolutions and several property sales

At a public meeting of the Lackawanna County Land Bank Board of Directors, members voted to allow the land bank to enter into prearranged agreements with the Lackawanna County Tax Claim Bureau to purchase tax-delinquent properties and approved three resolutions covering acquisition, conveyance and audit services.

The action follows the county commissioners’ recent passage of an ordinance, identified at the meeting as Act 48 of 2024, that establishes a county demolition and rehabilitation fund and directs the Lackawanna County Tax Claim Bureau to collect a $250 fee from every purchase of real property at tax sale or mortgage foreclosure sale. The ordinance becomes effective roughly 90 days after passage, which board members said would be around June 5, and the land bank was named to administer the new fund.

Board members approved a motion authorizing the land bank to enter into agreements with the Tax Claim Bureau to purchase certain tax-delinquent properties as determined by the municipality where they are located. The motion, as read at the meeting, said the list and descriptions of properties would be emailed to…