Lackawanna commissioners present preliminary 2026 budget, explain millage conversion after reassessment
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Summary
At a Nov. 19 meeting the Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners presented the preliminary 2026 budget in a first reading and explained how reassessment changed assessed valuations and required a conversion of millage figures (total adjusted millage 5.79 mills). Commissioners said structural reforms and last year’s tax action stabilized county finances.
The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners opened its Nov. 19 meeting with the first reading of the county’s 2026 preliminary budget, presenting adjusted millage rates and an explanation of how reassessment changed assessed valuations.
Chief Financial Officer David Bolzoni told commissioners that post-certification assessed valuation rose dramatically and the county converted previously large millage numbers to smaller, adjusted millage to make rates understandable. Bolzoni cited a total adjusted millage of 5.79 mills (converted from a previous presentation of 89.98 mills) and said the conversion and rounding produced a negligible net revenue difference — about negative $14,003.23 in total real estate tax revenue — while explaining that individual components (general fund, debt service, library, arts) saw small variances due to rounding and the conversion method.
A commissioner who described themselves as a first-term official recounted the county’s fiscal emergency upon taking office in January 2024 — unpaid bills, a projected $37 million deficit and structural shortfalls — and said a package of reforms, external financial advice from the PFM Group, staff reductions and spending controls allowed the administration to present a balanced preliminary budget for 2026 without a new tax increase. The commissioner cited specific outcomes including restoring a full state license to the office of youth and family services, reducing that agency’s case backlog from more than 1,000 to under 100, expanding caseworker staffing and cutting overtime in the county prison by more than $1 million.
The ordinance was read as a first reading; the chair noted a second reading is scheduled for Dec. 3. No final adoption occurred at the Nov. 19 meeting.
Why it matters: The conversion of millage figures following reassessment changes how tax rates are presented to the public and can affect perception of tax levels even when total revenue is nearly unchanged. Commissioners argued the reforms and last year’s tax adjustment were painful but necessary to stabilize county finances and preserve services.
What’s next: The board scheduled a second reading of the 2026 budget ordinance for Dec. 3, 2025. Public materials and further explanations of component millage impacts were discussed as available from the county finance office.
