Luzerne County’s proposed 2026 real estate tax increase has been reduced from 1.9% to 1.5% due to cuts approved last week, county Budget and Finance Division Head Mary Roselle said Tuesday.

For a residence assessed at the median $95,500, county taxes would rise $9 annually with a 1.5% increase instead of the $12 more per year that had been proposed in the original budget.

County Council is set to vote on the budget Dec. 9, and Councilman Harry Haas has proposed additional budget amendments for consideration before final adoption.

The cuts previously approved by the council ended up reducing the proposed budget by a net $542,000, Roselle said.

To avoid any increase, a council majority would have to agree on an additional $1.86 million in new revenue or spending reductions, analysis show

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