Bear Creek Township is not increasing its real estate taxes in 2026 as originally reported by the Luzerne County Treasurer’s Office.
Treasurer’s Office Manager Thomas Foley said Thursday he misunderstood a tax rate resolution supplied by the municipality.
The township said the tax rate was 0.4412 mills, with 0.1103 mills earmarked for the Bear Creek Volunteer Hose Company.
Foley said he thought the 0.1103 was in addition to the 0.4412 mill, but the fire department earmark is included in the total 0.4412-mill rate.
In summary, township taxes will remain at 0.4412 mills.
To figure out the actual tax payment, the assessed value of a property must be divided by 1,000 and then multiplied by the millage rate.
This means the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 in the township will continue paying $44.12 in municipal taxes, and $11.03 of that payment will go toward the fire department.
Foley said the miscalculation was missed in the proofing process with the municipal tax collector as part of the initial tax bill preparations leading up the the public release of the new millage rates.
However, the Treasurer’s Office was able to correct the township millage before the tax bills went to print.
Combined 2026 county/municipal tax bills will be issued Friday.
Property owners will have two months, or until April 21, to pay at a 2% discount.
Payments are then at the full, or face, amount for an additional two months, until June 23.
A 10% penalty is added for taxes paid for the rest of the year.
The county noted it is not involved in municipal tax billing for Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, or Nanticoke.
The original story reporting municipalities with 2026 tax increases has been updated online to accurately reflect Bear Creek Township’s decision to keep taxes at the same level.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
