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<p>A few more big-ticket assessment refunds were approved in May, nearly depleting the budgeted funds Luzerne County has set aside to cover them with half the year left to go, new reports show.</p><p>The May refunds totaled $68,612, according to a recent posting on the assessment page at <a href="https://pa-luzernecounty.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/873" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecounty.org</a>. Refunds granted for June, if any, have not yet been posted.</p><p>As of June 30, the county spent $399,000 on refunds, or 89 percent of the $450,000 budgeted for the year, said Brian Swetz, the county director of Budget and Financial Services. That update is included in his latest financial report, which is up for discussion at Tuesday&#8217;s county council work session.</p><p>County Manager C. David Pedri had warned council in May the refund allocation was &#8220;starting to get tight,&#8221; saying he was reviewing potential budget transfer options with Swetz in case more money is needed.</p><p>The hit stems largely from the settlement of some property assessment appeals filed years ago. Refunds date back to the year challenges were filed, and county officials have pushed for resolution of stale cases to eliminate this unknown financial liability.</p><p>In the latest refunds from May, the county returned a total $18,234 for refunds from 2015 through 2018 on a Hazle Township parcel connected to Laurel Mall.</p><p>This refund was inadvertently omitted from a series owed to Laurel Mall, which also partially falls in Sugarloaf Township. The county paid nearly $141,000 in refunds on three other mall parcels in April, also dating back to 2015.</p><p>These tallies don&#8217;t include refunds that must be paid by the Hazleton Area School District and two municipalities.</p><p>With all parcels combined, the assessment of the mall is now $18.5 million &#8212; a decrease of $8.7 million, records show.</p><p>Local attorney Ray Wendolowski, who represented the school district in the appeal filed by the Lakewood, N.J.-based Laurel Mall Limited Partnership, has said the reduction was warranted based on appraisals and the facility&#8217;s loss of an anchor tenant, Kmart.</p><p>If the mall restores tenants, the school district will have the option to file a &#8220;reverse&#8221; appeal arguing the assessment should be increased, he has said.</p><p>Also in the latest refund batch is a Nanticoke trucking operation owned by Shillington-based ABC Distribution LLC on West Union Street.</p><p>The facility on 42 acres had been assessed at $3.5 million &#8212; $2.1 million for the land and $1.4 million for the building, county records show.</p><p>Under the settlement, the total value was more than cut in half, for a new assessment of $1.59 million. The breakdown: land, $600,000, and building, $990,000.</p><p>Because this is a newer appeal, the resulting county refund is only for 2018 and totals $11,856, the report said.</p><p>Also on the May refund roster is a Foster Township facility owned by Euro Foods Inc., which does business as Citterio and is known for specializing in Italian meats and cheeses, records show.</p><p>The assessed value was $6.88 million &#8212; $300,000 for the 18 acres and $6.58 million for the building.</p><p>The settlement lowered the total to $3.75 million, keeping the land the same and reducing the building to $3.45 million.</p><p>A total county refund of $36,682 covering 2017 and 2018 was paid, the report said.</p><p>The county administration has argued a reassessment of all 167,800 parcels is not warranted at this time because the state&#8217;s outside analysis of sales data concluded the values are still accurate. The last reassessment took effect a decade ago, in 2009.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Courthouse </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_luzcocourthouse01-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Courthouse </caption0><photoCredit0></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>

More Luzerne County assessments reduced