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Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri said his upcoming proposed 2021 budget will not request a real estate tax increase.
				&ldquo;The county is well aware of the economic hardships put on the citizens of Luzerne County due to the COVID-19 pandemic,&rdquo; Pedri said in an announcement. &ldquo;This budget was difficult to put together, but it is a realistic and working one that does not place an additional burden on our residents during such challenging times.&rdquo;
				Pedri predicted 2021 is &ldquo;going to be a year of financial recovery.&rdquo; Still, the county must continue to provide services to more than 320,000 residents, he said.
				&ldquo;The budget I&rsquo;ve presented is lean and will definitely pose challenges to county administration; however, it does not cut essential services,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				He deferred comment on the specifics, saying he will release the budget and a summary of the highlights Tuesday before council&rsquo;s meeting.
				The proposed budget also will be posted at luzernecounty.org Tuesday and discussed in detail at numerous public budget hearings that begin Tuesday, he said.
				Council will meet virtually at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with instructions on attending under council&rsquo;s online meeting section at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/1279/Public-Meetings-Online" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">luzernecounty.org</a>.
				The first 2021 budget work session will follow the voting meeting to review the administration&rsquo;s requested allocations for retirement, debt service and the budget reserve.
				An online schedule of all 2021 budget public hearings and work sessions is posted on the <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/21737/2020-Breakout-FY2021-Budget-Meeting-Schedule-October-to-December-sll6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">council page</a>.
				According to this schedule, council is set to adopt the budget on Dec. 15, which is the deadline under the county&rsquo;s home rule charter.
				Council Chairman Tim McGinley said he looks forward to reviewing the proposed budget.
				&ldquo;Hopefully we can have a budget that recognizes the hardships that county residents are experiencing at this time,&rdquo; McGinley said.
				County real estate taxes are currently 6.1696 mills, which equates to a payment of $616.96 on a $100,000 property.
				A mill is $1 tax for every $1,000 in assessed value.
				The county&rsquo;s taxes rose 3.25% in 2020, requiring the owner of a $100,000 property to pay about $19 more.
				Council members had approved numerous 2020 budget amendments to reduce the administration&rsquo;s proposed 5% increase.
				Pedri has said the 3.25% increase was essentially needed to cover $3.7 million in unavoidable increases for health insurance and the employee pension fund subsidy.
				However, Pedri noted in his new release that the 2021 budget would be the third without a tax increase during his tenure as county manager.
				A council majority avoided proposed tax hikes for 2018 and 2019 largely with a combination of cuts and the use of one-time revenue windfalls.

Pedri: No Luzerne County tax hike proposed for 2021