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Berwick Police searching for bank robber

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Pittston Fire Dept. honored for smoke-alarm project that helped save life

<p>KINGSTON &#8212; Wyoming Valley West will not vote to stay within the property tax-increase limit known as the Act 1 index for the 2019-20 school year, though details remain to be worked out.</p><p>The board was told the district instead will draw up a preliminary budget by the Feb. 13 meeting, and likely apply for state approval to be exempt from the limit so it can pay escalating special education costs.</p><p>The limit varies from district to district each year. WVW&#8217;s index this year is 3.2 percent. If a school board votes to stay within its limit, it has until the end of May to approve a preliminary budget. The other option is to get voter approval through a referendum in the spring primary or seek state approval for any of three possible exemptions, special education being one of them. Either choice requires completing a preliminary budget in February.</p><p>The district&#8217;s former business manager, Joe Rodriguez, had complained for years that special education cost increases have far exceeded increases in state special education funding. Rodriguez was at Wednesday&#8217;s meeting as a consultant, and repeated that complaint after the meeting.</p><p>Board member John Gill echoed the concern, noting the district must provide the special education service to anyone in the district under state and federal law. &#8220;We can&#8217;t stop them from moving into the district,&#8221; Gill said.</p><p>Rodriguez and board President Joe Mazur also mentioned the new stormwater fee after the meeting. The fee, intended to help pay for federally mandated decreases in several elements in stormwater runoff, is to be levied by the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority for 32 municipalities that have agreed to combine forces to save money. But substantial backlash following the mailing of the first bills has prompted a delay in further implementation.</p><p>Rodriguez said the district &#8212; Luzerne County&#8217;s third largest enrollment-wise yet landlocked in a small urban space around the west side of the Susquehanna &#8212; has a lot of property, and that most of it is &#8220;impervious&#8221; material, meaning water cannot be absorbed due to parking lots and other paving. Bills are based on amounts of impervious material.</p><p>Wyoming Valley West is concerned the bill for the district will be very high, and it&#8217;s looking for options for possibly changing it.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

WVW could exceed state tax-hike limit, questions stormwater fee