Elections Certified, Reassessment Locked In: Lackawanna County Moves On

Lackawanna County has officially wrapped up two issues that have dominated local conversation all year: the elections are certified, and the reassessment is certified and locked in for 2026. No more delays, no more legal maneuvers, no more talk about pushing it off. It’s happening.

The county Board of Elections — the judges who make the final call — voted unanimously to certify the November election results. There were attempts to stall the process with recount requests and noise surrounding a single-precinct investigation, but the board rejected the delay and moved forward. With that vote, every race on the ballot is now official. Whatever people felt about the campaigns or the controversy, the results stand.

On the reassessment front, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Commissioners Thom Welby, Brenda Sacco, and Chris Chermak all supported pausing the implementation by a year so taxpayers, municipalities, and the county itself could deal with the defects in the notices that were sent out. They pushed for the extra time, made the case, and tried to give residents breathing room. But ultimately, the courts denied the request. With that ruling, the county’s effort to delay came to a hard stop.

The property reassessment — the first full reset since 1968 — has also been certified. The courts have already shut down the county’s attempt to push implementation to 2027. That means the new values will be used for tax bills starting January 1, 2026. Property owners have already received their new valuations, informal reviews are done, and the appeal window is underway. There’s no more ambiguity. The reassessment is moving exactly on schedule.

For residents, this means every taxing body — the county, municipalities, and school districts — will now have to adjust their millage rates to comply with state law. Because reassessment is revenue-neutral in year one, rates must come down to match the higher assessed values. Some people will see their bills go up, some will see them drop, and many will land somewhere in the middle. But the playing field will finally be level for the first time in half a century.

For years, people complained about unfair assessments based on numbers from the late 1960s. This is the fix, and it’s now official. The reassessment is certified. The elections are certified. And Lackawanna County is heading into 2026 with a clean slate and a clear path forward.