Wyoming

Residents frustrated with Wyoming Area’s 6.5% tax hike

Published

1 year ago

June 26, 2024

Residents frustrated with Wyoming Area’s 6.5% tax hike

The Wyoming Area School Board during a lengthy meeting Tuesday approved a final budget for the upcoming school year that included a tax hike of 6.5% — an increase many frustrated residents in the audience said they simply could not afford.

The 6.5% tax increase is lower than the 7.2% that was initially proposed back in May.

Board President Michael Supey after the meeting declined to comment on why the board decided to vote on a lower increase, saying only that they tried to do what was best for taxpayers.

The district raised taxes 5.5% last year.

The 6.5% tax increase for the 2024-2025 school year reflects a millage rate of 21.0533 in Luzerne County and 105.4852 for Wyoming County. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

For example, based on the budget presentation prepared by Business Consultant Tom Melone, a homeowner in Luzerne County with a property valued at $150,000 would pay about $193 dollars more in taxes.

By contrast, a homeowner in Wyoming County with a property valued at $35,000 would see an increase of about $318.

The difference in the millage rates for each county was concerning for residents and many questioned the accuracy of the assessed property values for Wyoming County.

District Superintendent Jon Pollard said that while Luzerne County recently underwent a re-assessment, he believed that Wyoming County had not had one in a while and was possibly operating on much older numbers.

“That might be part of the reason there is such a disparity,” Pollard said.

According to a 2022 report from the Pennsylvania Economy League, Wyoming County last underwent a property value reassessment in 1988 while Luzerne County conducted one in 2009.

The budget itself called for expenditures of $47,783,389 against of revenue of $46,537,231 resulting in a shortfall of about $1.2 million.

The budget did not take any additional state funding into account as it is unclear how much the district will be awarded because the final state budget has yet to be approved. The deadline for that approval is June 30.

Even if Wyoming Area received the $871,727 in funding Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget called for, there would still be a small deficit that would have to be made up by the fund balance.

Reasons for the Tax Increase

Melone during his presentation offered several reasons for the tax increase, including declining property values and cyber/charter school costs, both of which are issues that have plagued the district in recent years.

Cyber/charter school tuition for the 2023-2024 school year is projected to be $2,409,095, which was a substantial increase from the amount of $2,019,492 form the year before.

Wyoming Area has seen continued increases in Cyber/charter school expenditures since 2016-2017. In the school year following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount nearly doubled.

Many residents then wondered why the school district was not doing more to encourage children to come back to school in person or, at the very least, encourage them to use Wyoming Area’s cyber school program instead of a competitor.

Pollard did tell parents at the meeting that he was currently working on a plan to better market the school’s cyber program, which he hopes to bring to the board sometime in July.

As far as property values were concerned, Melone explained that they have been steadily declining in both Luzerne and Wyoming County since 2015-2016, with Luzerne County expected to see a small increase by the end of this year.

Additionally, Melone noted the cost of salaries and benefits have also increased.

Residents Speak Out

The seats were packed with concerned residents at Tuesday’s meeting and for nearly two hours, the board heard from homeowners who vehemently opposed the tax increase.

“I’m lucky; I have a good job and I can pay the tax increase,” Mike Brogan, of Falls, told the board. “But at what point does it stop?”

“I watched the presentation and I understand the expenses, but everyone in this room has expenses,” said Mary Portelli, of Pittston.

She urged the board to make furthers cuts to expenditures and questioned why the district was spending so much on healthcare for employees instead of looking for another carrier.

“This is an unmitigated disaster,” said David Chaump, a resident from Pittston. “The faces in front of you, we’re strapped. We can’t afford any more in tax.”

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Wyoming

University of Wyoming sues former energy research partner for $2.5M – WyoFile

Published

9 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

University of Wyoming sues former energy research partner for .5M – WyoFile

The University of Wyoming filed a lawsuit this week seeking $2.5 million from an energy company it partnered with to research enhanced oil recovery.

The university in 2024 signed a contract with Houston-based ACU Energy to advance research at the university’s Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media, according to the university’s complaint filed Monday in Wyoming’s U.S. District Court. ACU Energy agreed to pay the university $15 million over the six-year research period. The company, according to the complaint, was to pay the university $2.5 million annually with two payments each year.

While the university kept up its end of the bargain — by assembling a research team, training research members and incurring costs to modify laboratory space — ACU Energy “failed to pay the University even a cent owed under the Agreement, leaving $2,500,000 outstanding in unpaid invoices,” the complaint alleges.

ACU Energy did not respond to a WyoFile request for comment before publication.

Old Main, the University of Wyoming’s oldest building, is home to administrative offices. (Tennessee Watson/WyoFile)

The company notified the university in February that it was terminating the contract, and the university notified ACU Energy in May of its breach of contract, according to court filings. The university asked the court for a jury trial.

Enhanced oil recovery refers to methods used to squeeze more crude from reservoirs that have already been tapped for primary production, extending the life of an oilfield.

The university commonly accepts money from private businesses in return for lending resources and expertise to advance research. The Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media is part of the university’s Research Centers of Excellence in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

The Center of Innovation for Flow Through Porous Media, led by Mohammad Piri, a professor of petroleum engineering, bills itself as “the most advanced oil and gas research facility in the world.” The center conducts research at the university’s High Bay Research facility, which “is funded by $37.2 million in state dollars and $16.3 million in private contributions, with an additional $9.2 million in private gifts for research equipment,” according to the center’s website.

The center has received donations from oil industry heavyweights like ExxonMobil, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.

Piri was tapped to serve as “principal investigator” for the UW-ACU Energy partnership, according to the university’s complaint. As of press time, ACU Energy had not filed a response to the lawsuit.

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Wyoming

Search for fugitive wanted for child-sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

Published

21 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Search for fugitive wanted for child-sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

With a population under 600, Byron, Wyo., is generally a quiet town. In recent weeks, streets have been even quieter as both local and federal law enforcement search for 39-year-old fugitive Anthony Pease, who is wanted for six counts of sexual assault involving a minor.

Authorities have been searching the area for weeks, and a reward for information leading to an arrest now sits at $2,000.

See how the search impacts the town:

Search for fugitive wanted for child sex crimes leaves Wyoming town on alert

Saturday morning, law enforcement shared there was a confirmed sighting of Pease near town and reminded residents to remain vigilant by locking their doors and reporting suspicious activity. According to Wyoming’s Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, before the weekend sighting, Pease hasn’t been seen since Nov. 1.

The Big Horn County Schools Superintendent, Matt Davidson, told MTN News a school resource officer on staff stays up to date with the latest on search efforts, and some parents say they’ve been keeping their kids indoors when they’re not at school.

As the search continues, the mayor as well as some residents, say they are taking law enforcement’s advice while keeping a watchful eye.

“I never used to lock my house during the day. I didn’t even lock my vehicles at night. In fact, a lot of the time I’d leave the keys in them. I’ve talked to other people and there is quite a few people that are nervous. I would hope that a lot of us are nervous because this is a bad thing,” said Byron Mayor Allan Clark.

In fact, investigators could be seen around Byron knocking on doors and scanning land outside of town.

“There’s just so much area and a low population, so much area for him to hide and seek shelter,” Clark said.

With so many wide-open spaces and abandoned buildings in the area, Clark understands why the search has gone on so long.

According to the US Marshals Service, Pease is 5 feet 11 inches tall and may also be going by the name Abraham. They also ask that anyone nearby who has a collection of silver dollars to ensure they are still there, and if not, to report to authorities.

Marshals say Pease is considered dangerous, and the public is told to not approach him and instead call 9-1-1. As the search has stretched over six weeks, many residents hope a capture will bring life back to normal.

“I hope that they capture him soon, and I hope that us as community members and around the area keep our eyes open and report anything suspicious,” said Clark.

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