County tax roundup for 2024
County property taxes in Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery counties will increase in 2024, but Chester County taxes will stay level. Property tax rates are measured in millage, with one mill being worth $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

• Bucks County commissioners approved a $486.8 million budget for 2024 that includes a 2-mill tax increase — a jump of about 7.9% from 25.45 to 27.45 mills. The increase is expected to raise nearly $17 million annually while adding about $60 to the average homeowner’s yearly tax bill, and wipe out the county’s long-running structural deficit. Read more here. 
• Chester County commissioners approved a 2024 consolidated budget of $683.4 million that keeps the county property tax rate at 4.551 mills. The consolidated budget includes a $613.3 million operating budget and a $70.1 million capital budget. 
• Delaware County Council unanimously approved a $358 million 2024 budget with a 5% property tax increase from 2.999 to 3.149 mills. A median home valued at about $254,700 will see an annual property tax increase of $38 for a total county real estate tax bill of $802. 
• Montgomery County commissioners approved a 2024 budget that includes a 12.8% tax increase. The county’s millage rate will increase from 4.237 mills to 4.788 mills — although the total millage rises to 5.178 after the 0.39 mills for Montgomery County Community College are included. 

Cities are dropping off-street parking minimums
More than 50 U.S. cities and towns have thrown out their parking minimums — the rules that dictate how much off-street parking developers must provide for homes and businesses. Tony Jordan, president of the Parking Reform Network, described parking minimums as “dead weight” regulations that are arbitrary and vary from one municipality to the next. Parking creates sprawl and makes neighborhoods less walkable and less hospitable to transit. Asphalt traps heat and creates stormwater runoff. And parking minimums drive up costs for new housing. The real problem, Jordan said, is what doesn't get built: "The housing that could have gone in that space or the housing that wasn't built because the developer couldn't put enough parking. ... So we just lose housing in exchange for having convenient places to store cars." Dozens of cities — including Anchorage, Alaska, San Jose, California, Duluth, Minnesota, Gainesville, Florida, and Austin, Texas — have dropped their requirements. Others, like New York City, Milwaukee and Dallas, are considering it. Austin City Councilmember Zo Qadri noted that getting rid of parking mandates isn't the same as getting rid of parking: "It simply lets the market and individual property owners decide what levels of parking are appropriate or needed." Read more here.
Source: NPR; 1/2/2024

PA population down by 10,000 in 2023
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Pennsylvania lost about 10,400 people in 2023 — one of eight states that lost population. The commonwealth is now estimated to have 12.96 million people. Deaths outpaced births by 11,000, and although 25,000 Pennsylvanians moved to other states, 26,000 more moved into Pennsylvania. The population loss seems to have slowed from 2022’s number of 42,000. Pennsylvania grew rapidly between 1900 and 1960 — then took 40 years to grow from 11 million people to 12 million in 2000. Recent growth has been in southeast and south central Pennsylvania, with populations stagnating or decreasing elsewhere.
Source: The Center Square; 12/19/2023

PA voter rolls have grown since automatic registration started
The state’s top election official said Pennsylvania has seen a “pretty significant increase” of about 65% in voter registration since Gov. Josh Shapiro’s implementation of automatic voter registration at PennDOT centers in September. Since Sept. 19, residents getting new or renewed driver licenses at PennDOT locations have been automatically taken through an on-screen voter registration process unless they have opted out. “At least in the first two months [of automatic voter registration], the number of Democrats and Republicans and others has been approximately equal in number,” said Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania Secretary of State.
Source: Daily Local; 1/2/2024 

Falls shows early support for proposed mixed-use development
Falls Township supervisors recently reviewed a sketch plan for a small, mixed-use complex along West Trenton Avenue. The sketch plan includes a self-storage facility with office, retail and residential space on land that sits near the Morrisville Borough border. Township Manager Matthew Takita said the sketch plan has offices at the front of the property with apartments on the second floor. The self-storage facility would be mostly screened by the project’s design, and the scale of the development would “mimic” the current architectural style on West Trenton Avenue. Supervisors gave positive feedback to the most recent proposal. An earlier version of the developer’s plan for the property had supervisors advising the developer to revise it to better “fit into the neighborhood.” No formal action was taken on the proposal during the workshop meeting.
Source: LevittownNow.com; 12/28/2023

Doylestown Township approves low-income senior housing and townhomes
Doylestown Township supervisors voted 4-0 to approve a revision to the township’s limited industrial zone that will allow an affordable housing project for seniors and market-rate townhouses to move forward. Township officials were able to reach a deal with the developer and neighboring Doylestown Borough over the plan. The township and borough had been at odds over Arcadia Land Company's plan to build a low-income housing complex on the former Tilley Fire Solutions site in the township next to the borough. Borough officials feared allowing housing in the industrial area along Broad Street would attract other housing developers and the borough would have to deal with the traffic and services needed for these new township residents. As part of the deal, Doylestown Borough will get a dog park along Broad Street, next to the new housing.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 12/21/2023

Bucks County expected to lose population over the next 30 years
A report by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania anticipates that Bucks County will lose population over the next 30 years while other counties surrounding Philadelphia are projected to grow — making it one of only three “urban” counties (using the report’s density-based categorization) the study sees shrinking. The other two urban counties are Beaver and Westmoreland in the western part of Pennsylvania. Bucks County could see its ranks shrink by 7.5%, or about 48,600 people. The report points to an aging Baby Boomer population and a stagnant birth rate as major drivers for declines in most counties across the state. Bucks County officials are expected to unveil their 20-year comprehensive plan next month, something County Commissioner Bob Harvie hopes will aid in “smart growth” for the county.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 1/2/2024

Nockamixon names new manager, approves budget
Nockamixon Township Manager/Treasurer Keith DeLuca’s retirement was announced in November, and now a successor has been named. Teri Lewis has been appointed as Nockamixon’s new manager. Lewis had been the township manager in neighboring Tinicum Township until her resignation in December. Nockamixon Township also approved the appointment of Joan Tanner as part-time secretary, filling a vacant position. Tanner also worked previously at Tinicum Township until her resignation in December. Also at the Dec. 21 meeting, the board adopted the township budget for 2024. Taxes remain at 7 mills, with 3.5 mills supporting the township, 0.5 mills for Upper Bucks Regional Emergency Management Services, and 3 mills for fire and rescue service.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 12/26/2023

Doylestown Township recognizes longtime supervisor Ryan Manion
The Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors gave Ryan Manion a standing ovation for her 12 years on the board. Manion was first elected to the board in 2011 and again in 2017. She chose not to run for re-election in 2023, thereby ending her time on the board. The board presented Manion with a plaque and a proclamation thanking her for her dedicated service to the township. In acknowledgement and thanks, Manion said, “Twelve years ago I took an oath to serve as a Doylestown Township supervisor. And tonight I’m going to share a little secret. I had no idea what I was doing at the time. But I did know a couple of things. I did know that I wanted to serve my community. I knew that I wanted to make decisions based on the best outcome for Doylestown Township, not a political party."
Source: Doylestown Patch; 1/2/2024 

‘Economy Dashboard’ shows vitality in Chester County
Each year, Chester County releases an Economy Dashboard that predicts future growth by giving a snapshot of the county. The 2023 dashboard shows Chester County’s economy is strong, with continued population growth expected through 2050. The annual report is prepared by the Chester County Planning Commission with assistance from the Chester County Economic Development Council and other organizations. The report is divided into six sections that describe the county economy: resident characteristics, employment characteristics, business characteristics, gross domestic product totals, key industry groups and real estate characteristics. The report gives detailed information for each section, and an overview in the executive summary.
Source: Chester County; 12/28/2023

Tredyffrin rates AAA In Moody’s bond assessment
Moody’s reaffirmed Tredyffrin Township’s AAA credit rating in December, noting the township's financial position is strong with reserves and liquidity as well as excess revenues. The AAA rating is the highest of all Moody's bond ratings. The rating was based on Moody's assessment of the township's ability to meet its financial obligations and reflects its strong financial operations, tax base growth, high wealth levels and moderate debt burden. Moody's also anticipates the township's financial operations to remain very strong. The AAA rating helps the township achieve lower interest rates on bond issues for such purposes as road construction, park acquisitions and other infrastructure expenditures. Tredyffrin supervisors voted to pursue the purchase of $9.9 million in bonds to fund a new firehouse, stormwater upgrades, a bridge repair and other capital improvements.
Source: Tredyffrin-Easttown Patch; 12/26/2023

Survey measures appetite for open-air dining in Phoenixville
Phoenixville Borough has released the results of its community survey about whether and how to close streets for open-air dining during warm months. An overwhelming majority of the general public favors closing streets from the end of May through October for open-air dining. However, most business owners would like to reduce the number of weekends from every weekend to once a month. The borough surveyed businesses in response to complaints that closing streets on weekends was hampering business. Borough council members will review the results and determine the fate of opening-air dining.
Source: Phoenixville Patch; 12/20/2023

Chester County to host solar conference
The Chester County Planning Commission is hosting a solar adopter’s conference on Thursday, Jan. 18. Attendees will learn about how corporations, office and educational campuses, agricultural producers, and shopping centers can take advantage of the latest technology, available incentives, RFP guidance and support from local governments and the electric utility to adopt solar electricity and realize energy price stability, carbon emissions reduction and long-term cost benefits.
Source: Chester County Planning Commission; 1/2/2024