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Look Back: Reporter recalls events of September 2011

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Their view: A donation to the Bahamas is a gift to the past and the future

<p>Interest rates and other specifics of a proposed $35.14 million borrowing package will be presented at Tuesday&#8217;s Luzerne County Council work session, the agenda said.</p><p>The borrowing would provide $20.7 million for a 911 emergency radio communication system upgrade, $1.8 million toward new paper-trail voting machines and $12.1 million to refinance high-interest debt, the administration has said.</p><p>Details were not included in the agenda packet and will be released in a handout at the session, which follows a 6 p.m. voting meeting at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Because the county has been focusing on paying down inherited debt, the only new borrowing since the 2012 switch to home rule was $7.9 million for an energy savings project. As of June 30, the county owed approximately $272 million in principal and interest, records show.</p><p>Tuesday&#8217;s presentation will be made by Harrisburg-based Public Financial Management, the county&#8217;s financial advisor.</p><p><strong>Repository update</strong></p><p>Also up for work session discussion is the proposed sale of 24 properties in the repository, a pool of parcels that are available for purchase at any time because they did not sell at delinquent tax auctions.</p><p>Plains Township-based Northeast Revenue Service LLC, the county&#8217;s tax-claim operator, submitted the sales and verified no buyers owe back taxes.</p><p>The purchases are all for $500. The proposed sale list is posted under the council agenda page at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09102019-1539" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecounty.org</a>.</p><p>A list of repository properties available for purchase is posted at <a href="http://www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com/repositorylist.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com</a>.</p><p>County officials have pushed for repository sales because the county is semi-liable and serves as legal trustee for parcels in the pool, which contains around 1,000 properties and continues to grow as new auctions are held.</p><p><strong>Tax claim</strong></p><p>The administration said it is still reviewing recommendations for the next tax claim operation contract, which is why a recommendation was not on Tuesday&#8217;s work session agenda as expected.</p><p>Northeast Revenue has been overseeing the county&#8217;s tax claim collections since 2010, and its contract expires the end of this year. Three other companies also have submitted proposals to handle the work.</p><p>Infrastructure</p><p>An update on completed and pending county road and bridge projects also is planned at the work session, with cost figures and before-and-after photos of some work included in the agenda packet.</p><p>Council also will discuss a resolution to turn over county-owned Road 38, also known as Walnut Avenue, to Conyngham borough now that it has been repaired. County Manager C. David Pedri said municipalities willing to take infrastructure off the county&#8217;s hands will receive priority consideration for repairs.</p><p><strong>Division Street Bridge</strong></p><p>Hanover Township officials last week discussed plans to award a contract to Fabcor Inc. to construct the new Division Street Bridge over Solomon Creek.</p><p>The company was the low bidder at $1.16 million, township officials said.</p><p>The county has earmarked $1.675 million in community development funding to construct the bridge, with plans to complete the project within two years, Pedri has said.</p><p>The original Division Street Bridge was demolished in 2014 after partially collapsing into the creek.</p><p>Hanover Township will act as project manager and accept responsibility for the bridge when it is completed, he said.</p><p>The county Redevelopment Authority has charged $2,280 for a 228-square-foot permanent easement for the township to construct the new bridge.</p><p><strong>Voting meeting</strong></p><p>Council is set to vote Tuesday on the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce request for a 10-year Keystone Opportunity Zone tax break extension on a troubled Wright Township property it wants to sell to Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services for a new construction project.</p><p>The chamber took possession of the contaminated 27.35-acre former Poseidon Pools property in the Crestwood Industrial Park in 1999 after the prior owner went bankrupt.</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/2019/09/web1_courthouse.jpeg.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>

Luzerne County borrowing plan set for presentation Tuesday