Property owners in Luzerne County can sign up for property listing notifications

The Luzerne County Registry of Deeds has implemented a free reporting system that informs the county’s property owners of all records related to their property.

Mary Dysleski, director of county deeds and wills offices, said many counties offer the service because of reports of deed fraud, but she has not heard of any such incidents in her county.

“It’s just another precautionary measure, a way to stay informed,” Dysleski said.

There is no way for the land registry to tell if a document is fake if all the required data is filled out correctly, Dysleski said. While the alert system does not prevent a document from being registered at the office, it allows property owners to monitor the registration of documents containing their property identification number (PIN) or name from the moment they sign up for the service, she said.

The alarm system is provided by Recorder of Deeds provider Landex. Property owners can register up to five PINs or names for monitoring.

Dysleski recommends PINs to avoid receiving notices for unrelated property owned by others with the same name. PINs are available on tax assessments or can be found by searching for a property on the county’s free GIS/mapping portal at luzernecounty.org.

To register for the free alert, visit: https://www.landex.com/recordalert/luzerne.

Microsoft contract

The county council last week approved a deal with Microsoft Corporation to license productivity software and operating systems.

The $1.68 million agreement runs from July 1 through the end of June 2027 and provides for annual payments of $562,300.

According to a request from Andrew Mesaris, the county’s IT director:

This is a continuation of an enterprise agreement with Microsoft that the county implemented in 2015 and covers a range of products and services.

“This agreement has enabled Luzerne County to make the most of its use of technology to carry out government functions and provide the best service to the public,” it said.

In addition to maintaining licenses for the current version of Microsoft’s server and Office productivity software for each user, it also allows for ongoing software maintenance to upgrade each user to the latest version at their convenience, software support directly from Microsoft, and installation of Microsoft products on multiple devices per licensed user.

“This enterprise agreement with Microsoft has ensured security, stability, accountability and efficiency in Luzerne County for the past nine years,” it said.

Study Commission

The county’s Government Study Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for remote participation can be found at the online council meeting link at luzernecounty.org.

The commission members develop a plan to evaluate the district’s self-government system and identify any deficiencies.

In line with the approach of previous commissions of inquiry, this commission is prepared to call on an external consultant to provide additional expertise and advice, in addition to a lawyer and a case officer. A budget request must also be prepared for approval by the Council.

Authorized by voters in the April 23 primary election, the commission has nine months to submit findings and recommendations. An additional nine months are allowed if the commission wants to prepare and submit government amendments. Two additional months are allowed if the commission recommends that the council be elected by district rather than at-large.

For the Commission’s recommendations to come into force, they must ultimately be approved by voters.

Properties in the community of Butler

The county has approved a contract with an appraiser to assess county-owned property in Butler Township for sale, but county Operations Services Director Jennifer Pecora said the appraisal cannot begin until other work is completed and permits are issued.

Under the contract with Alyson Kole General Appraisal Services in Kingston Township, the county would pay $450 for each appraisal.

A proposed subdivision, which must be approved by the council and the municipality, calls for 10 lots to be grouped into three parcels for sale, Pecora said.

The properties are located near West Foothills Drive, South Old Turnpike Road and South Hunter Highway.

Legal descriptions and documents would also be needed to value the property, Pecora said.

In total, the county owns about 530 acres in the township because it operated the Kis-Lyn labor camp for juvenile offenders from 1912 to 1965.

Two parcels cannot be sold and must be subdivided because the county is tied to long-term leases for a youth camp (17.8 acres) and the Keystone Job Corps Center, which operates a state-funded, residential education and job training program on 122.9 acres, officials said.

In addition, the land for sale will not include any section that has been identified by outside bodies as a possible site for a facility to treat pollution from the Jeddo Mine drainage tunnel, officials said.