City of Scranton Council Responses | October 20, 2026

Council President Tom Schuster asked the following question(s):

• Regarding Item 3A on the evening agenda, Mr. Schuster asked if the city administration may advise Council the reason for the year-to-year decrease in real estate tax revenue, estimated as approximately 4%.
  • This is the first year of property reassessment in the City, and the City’s 2026 tax rate was set at revenue-neutral as required by Commonwealth statute. The transitional shift to first-year new property assessment values may be a factor impacting the difference in year-to-year real estate tax collections.
     
    Additionally, the Single Tax Office has informed the City that Lackawanna County’s adoption of the option to pay County 2026 tax payments in installments resulted in a corresponding increase in City taxpayers choosing to pay their 2026 tax year obligation by installment. With more taxpayers paying by installment instead of during the discount or face periods, a delay in the City receiving real estate tax revenue is another factor in the year-to-year difference.  The fourth and final 2026 tax year installment payment is due October 30, 2026
• Mr. Schuster asked if Council may have a status regarding placement of the sign at the Capouse Avenue Splash Park honoring Joseph & Margaret Dougherty.
  • The City is planning to purchase signs for multiple recent park projects following Council’s final approval of this legislation

Councilman Sean McAndrew asked the following question(s):

• Councilman McAndrew has asked if the city may provide Council with a list of companies or entities who have contracts with the city, vendor name, their contract expiration date, which department within the city they are contracted with (IT, SPD, etc.), and please indicate those that are on a auto renewal.
  • The City is compiling the list of existing contracts.
• Mr. McAndrew referenced rental registration and out-of-town landlords. Does the city have and may the city administration provide the following: How many rental licenses are outside the twenty-five (25) mile radius? How many in this group have a licensed property manager for the property?
  • The City is working to retrieve the information regarding rental licenses provided to owners with an address outside a 25-mile radius.
    
    Any property owner is permitted to have a property manager. Per the City’s ordinance, “The Rental Contact shall be reachable by telephone by the City 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as emergency situations require immediate telephonic and/or in-person contact. The Landlord may supplement the Rental Contact’s information with additional Rental Contacts’ information if needed to ensure 24/7 contact availability via telephone and to respond to the premises if necessary.”
• Mr. McAndrew had questions regarding contractors and contractor licenses in the city. If a contractor is licensed by the state, why do they need to be licensed in the city? What is the timeframe for an applicant to apply and be approved to contract in the city? How many contractors currently hold a license in the city?
  • Under FOC 38 of 2022, each contractor must hold a City license for any work being done in the city of Scranton. The state does not ask for any qualifications for the trade they are registering for, we require a passing test score or letters of reference and W-2s.
    
    If the applicant has all the required documents with his or her application, it’s approved or denied within 24 hours. If anything is missing, we reach out to the applicant to provide it to us. We have 1,226 contractors registered in the city of Scranton.
• Regarding permits pulled with the city, Councilman McAndrew asked: Are the specific contractors pulling the permit the party actually overseeing the project and actually doing the job? Is there any follow up by the city LIPs Department? If so, what is the enforcement? Mr. McAndrew indicated questions are being asked as he is receiving word of contractors pulling permits for others outside their own projects and are possibly receiving payment for this action.
  • When a permit comes in, the permit clerk checks the application for completeness and moves it along. If it is missing information, we will reach out to the contractor to request what is missing. Follow-ups are handled when we receive a complaint from the homeowner or an inspector discovers a contractor working outside of the scope of work on the permit application. (Example: If a HIC contractor is doing electrical work or plumbing work, a stop work order is issued and a QOL ticket). To date, we have issued over 3,310 permits in total. If a contractor is pulling permits for others and is receiving money that is a violation and their licensed will be suspended from pulling permits.

Council Vice President Patrick Flynn asked the following question(s):

• With the implementation of the street changes downtown and going to the two-way streets and stop signs from stoplights, Mr. Flynn respectfully asks if the administration may visit a Council caucus along with Reilly Associates and a PennDOT representative.
  • The administration has requested open caucus dates from the City Clerk and will consult with Reilly engineering for availability.

Council shared multiple requests with DPW outside of these questions. The following requests have been completed:

• Class-3 Barriers were installed on Euclid Avenue
• The hole next to the basin on McDonough Avenue was filled.
• The tree branch at Wheeler Avenue and Myrtle Street was cut.

City of Scranton Council Responses – October 20, 2026 | PDF

Last modified: October 21, 2026