Luzerne County Council discusses options to sell two properties

The Luzerne County Council is discussing the best way to maximize revenue on the planned sale of two county-owned properties.

No decision was reached because the matter was on last week’s work session agenda, which means a future vote would be necessary on the final plan.

The administration had suggested selling a commercial/office building in downtown Hazleton and a three-story brick structure on West Union Street in Wilkes-Barre that previously housed community development.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo has said inquiries were made by potential buyers for the Hazleton property at 100 W. Broad St., known as the Broad Street Business Exchange.

Appraised at $2.1 million, the property has been under county ownership since 2009 because the county was at risk of losing $1.8 million that had been loaned to the prior nonprofit owner — the Alliance to Revitalize Center City Hazleton — when the property was slated for a delinquent tax sale. Those community development loans remain as liens on the property, which means net proceeds from a sale would have to be applied toward the loans, officials said.

Tenants in the 44,480-square-foot structure include Luzerne County Community College, a coffee shop and a law firm.

The three-story brick Wilkes-Barre structure at 54 W. Union St. is vacant and should be sold because the county has no government use for it, Crocamo has said. Its appraised market value is $373,000.

There are three options to seek offers: an auction, a public request for offers and listing through a real estate broker. The last option would require a public solicitation to determine what commissions would be charged by interested brokers.

Several council members expressed support for publicly seeking proposals for the Hazleton property to determine if anyone would offer the $2.1 million appraised value or more. Some said a broker commission would reduce the county’s receipts in a situation where buyers are already interested.

A broker may be pursued for the Wilkes-Barre property, with some arguing that a listing with marketing would reach more potential buyers.

Outside allocations

The county’s proposed 2026 budget continues more than $2 million in appropriations to several outside entities, according to a report county Budget/Finance Division Head Mary Roselle sent to council.

The allocations: Luzerne County Community College, $6.17 million; Penn State Cooperative Extension, $278,723; Mountain Council of Governments, $5,000; Luzerne Conservation District, $22,000; Hazleton Public Transit, $229,778; Luzerne County Transportation Authority, $871,609; The Institute, $15,000; and the Luzerne County Library System, $960,000.

Post-election adjudication

The county Election Board’s post-election adjudication will start on Thursday.

Adjudication determines which flagged mail and provisional ballots are accepted or rejected and tallies write-in votes.

Traditionally, adjudication begins the Friday after elections, but county Election Director Emily Cook said she and her staff will have all necessary Nov. 4 general election information prepared to begin on Thursday.

The adjudication, which is open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday on the third floor (courtroom A) of the Penn Place Building, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilkes-Barre.

Additional sessions will be scheduled as necessary to complete the process.

Budget cuts

Last week’s council budget work session deliberations yielded a net $421,130 in proposed reductions tracked by the budget/finance division, according to a post-meeting report prepared by Roselle.

The cuts include Councilman Greg Wolovich’s proposal to reduce the county’s pension fund contribution based on the latest actuarial estimate, the report said.

Councilman Harry Haas also submitted several proposed budget amendments after this report was generated.