Scranton board weighs one-time homeowner tax rebate as reassessment hits some residents hard

The Scranton School District board discussed on March 2 a proposal to offer a local homeowner-occupied real estate tax rebate aimed at residents hurt by a recent reassessment.

Pat Laffy, the district staff member who prepared the financial memo, told the board the model used by a nearby district that piggybacks on the Pennsylvania Property Tax/Rent Rebate program could cost the district up to roughly $174,000 in a given year if all eligible owner-occupied properties applied. "If we were to offer a similar rebate... you would look at a possibly an impact of about $174,000," Laffy said, noting the estimate is based on publicly available 2022 data and a 2024 report from the Department of Revenue.

Board members pressed on how such a program would be funded and whether it would be a single-year pilot or an ongoing commitment. Laffy said the administration had identified one potential state source—the governor's proposed "tax equity supplement"—that legal staff indicated could be an allowable use. "If the board wanted to explore that, that could be a funding source other than taking it from our real estate revenue," he said.

Directors also discussed administrative details and likely lower actual costs because not all eligible property owners would apply. One director noted that programs with application processes historically realize far fewer than the total number of theoretically eligible properties. "If Pat's talking about $174,000 maximum exposure, the reality of it will be a lot less," a board member said.

The board did not adopt a motion at the meeting; members asked staff to refine the eligibility estimate and to explore implementation options, including whether the county's area agency on aging or other intergovernmental arrangements could manage applications. The board said any funding decision would be folded into the next budget cycle if pursued.

Next steps: staff will return with updated estimates of eligible properties, clarified funding options, and legal guidance on using any state supplements before the board considers formal adoption or budgeting.