Delaware County residents expressed concerns about a proposed 19% tax increase at a recent council meeting. The 2026 county budget is anticipated to have its first reading at the Wednesday, Dec. 3, council meeting, and a final version is expected to be adopted by Dec. 10. A year ago, a property tax increase of 23% was enacted, and the tax bill for an average property assessed at about $255,100 rose $185, from $803 to $988. For 2026, a 19% increase based on the 2025 tax burden of $988 would amount to nearly an extra $188. According to a statement from county communications director Michael Connolly, “The leading drivers requiring revenue enhancement are the structural deficit this council inherited, the lack of robust budget reserves, the ending of major infusions of support funding like those related to the pandemic and the years immediately thereafter, and increased costs like an increase in the county’s required SEPTA contribution and rising health care costs.”
Source: Daily Times; 11/20/2025