Lackawanna County Ballot Question Will Not Count

A panel of Lackawanna County judges ruled a reassessment question on the upcoming election ballot will not count because the wording was "unintelligible."

This was the wording of the proposed ballot:

Shall the Lackawanna County commissioners incur debt not to exceed $13 million solely for the purpose of conducting a county-wide revision of assessment so that all real estate within the county will be assessed at a predetermined ratio of 100 percent of a new base year value?

The judges voted 2 to 1 that the results of the referendum will be “null and void,” meaning votes cast on the question will not be counted.

Two businessmen, Chuck Volpe and Keith Eckel, filed a lawsuit, saying the question was too confusing.

County commissioners say they will appeal the decision and released the following statement:

Tax reassessment is very consequential to our residents and to our senior citizens. We still believe this is an important matter and an appropriate question for voters to decide.