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<p>The Mohegan Sun Pocono casino&#8217;s new tax assessment should be calculated by the end of March, Luzerne County officials say.</p><p>There&#8217;s no current assessment for the Plains Township casino because its tax payments were covered by a 2007 court-ordered assessment appeal agreement that expired the end of 2015. That agreement wasn&#8217;t tied to an assessed value.</p><p>The county assessor&#8217;s office did not have a casino valuation ready when the court order expired because it had to find a new expert.</p><p>County officials had retained San Francisco-based HVS Gaming in October to complete a valuation but canceled the contract last month after discovering the company had previously completed appraisal work for another casino affiliated with Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.</p><p>This prior work could present a conflict of interest if the county needed HVS to provide expert testimony in a court-level assessment challenge that may be filed by the local Mohegan Sun casino, officials said. Mohegan Sun alerted the county to the potential conflict.</p><p>County Budget/Finance Division Head Brian Swetz said Tuesday the administration has been negotiating a contract with the company that had ranked second in the county&#8217;s public search process. He declined to identify the company until a contract is in place.</p><p>Acting county Manager C. David Pedri said he expects a contract will be signed within a few days.</p><p>The company the county plans to hire estimates it will take 45 to 65 days to complete field work and research, develop an opinion of value and generate a report, Swetz said.</p><p>County Assessment Office Director Anthony Alu said the delay won&#8217;t allow the casino to escape taxation in 2016.</p><p>Most county and municipal tax bills will be mailed early next month, but the casino bill will be in a special batch of additional bills mailed in May or September, depending on when the new value is completed, he said.</p><p>Regardless of the mailing date, the casino&#8217;s tax bill will be retroactive to Jan. 1, Alu said.</p><p>The casino will have the right to file a challenge within 40 days of receiving the new assessment, Alu said.</p><p>County officials wanted input from an outside expert because casino valuations are complicated. Several other Pennsylvania counties with casinos have used a a similar approach.</p><p>Mohegan Sun &#8217;s current tax payment &#8212;a combined $2.9 million to the school, county and township &#8212; was not linked to a specific assessment, but a property charged that amount of taxes would be valued around $125 million based on current tax rates.</p><p>The breakdown of the $2.9 million payment: Wilkes-Barre Area School District, $2.01 million; county, $653,360; and township, $261,460.</p><p>Prior county manager Robert Lawton has said he did not expect a significant windfall in tax payments from the new casino assessment, but county Councilman Stephen A. Urban has said the county should receive a &#8220;pretty hefty increase&#8221; because the original payment was calculated before the addition of a hotel/convention center and other amenities.</p><p>Listed under Connecticut-based Downs Racing LP, the Mohegan Sun complex is 264 acres.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A property assessment for the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino in Plains Township should be completed in March, Luzerne County officials say. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_Plains-Township-1-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>A property assessment for the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino in Plains Township should be completed in March, Luzerne County officials say. </caption0><photoCredit0>File photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Mohegan Sun Pocono casino tax assessment expected in March