SCRANTON, PA — A Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas judge has ruled that county officials must disclose preliminary property assessment data requested under the state's Right to Know Law, affirming a previous determination by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.
The legal dispute centers on an April 2025 public records request submitted by former county property owner Michael Marcavage. Marcavage sought electronic records containing all tentative assessed values generated for properties in Carbondale and Fell Township during Lackawanna County's ongoing, comprehensive property reassessment.
Lackawanna County had refused to release the records, arguing the internal valuation data fell under statutory exemptions within the Right to Know Law. However, both state open records officials and the county court rejected that argument, concluding that the requested property data constitutes public information subject to disclosure.
The preliminary property values were calculated by Texas-based vendor Tyler Technologies Appraisal Services, which the county contracted to conduct its first comprehensive reassessment project since 1968. Those tentative figures were subsequently mailed to landowners to allow property owners an opportunity to review their valuations and challenge them through formal appeal proceedings if they believed the numbers were inaccurate.
The countywide reassessment project aims to establish tax equity across the region by realigning assessed property values with current fair market rates.
