Tonight, Northampton County Council is poised to adopt its budget for 2026. Executive Lamont McClure as proposed a $503.6 million spending plan, slightly less than the year before. As required under the Home Rule Charter, it is a balanced budget. It would require no tax increase. The 10.8 mill tax rate would remain the same, meaning that a home assessed at $75,000 would receive a county tax bill for $810. After a series of budget hearings, County Council has considered some minor changes. Its biggest amendment, an increase in funding for the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, failed to garner five votes. That could happen tonight, but there is funding for it in available grant funds. So this should be an unusually short and sweet budget adoption meeting, right? Wrong. I am hearing rumors that a tax hike is in the works and that the 10.8 millage rate will be going up. There may even be five votes for it.
The reality is that county council is concerned that its rainy-day fund might be too low and that it might need more money to pay higher salaries. It might also need funds for a cash contribution to Gracedale.
Two weeks ago, Council President Lori Vargo Heffner warned that a tax hike was on the horizon. It was not a question of "if," but "when." Given concerns about the budget that incoming Exec Tara Zrinski has raised, Council might be doing her a favor. I'm sure she'd hate to have to propose a tax hike in her first year as Exec, but an increase now might help her avoid one next year. And next year, the county should use AI for cost-savings measures to streamline operations and boost efficiency, especially at Gracedale. It should consider training caseworkers so they can work from home and still be productive, thus obviating the need for a new government building. Most importantly, a reassessment is beyond overdue. Though politically unpopular, this is the only way to achieve fairness in taxation. If and when a reassessment is completed, municipalities like Easton must adjust their millage rates in a way that is revenue neutral.
31 comments:
Politicians favorite game - Kick the Can
A tax hike is coming. Lamont is trying to skate out the door so he can run on the fact he never raised taxes. I would go as far as to say two tax hikes are coming in the next 4 years. Gracedale is killing us.
They need 6.
That's true, if they want it to be veto-proof.
They really need to consider the re-assessment before the state mandates it. Also, its not going to ge any cheaper by putting it off year after year.
Game plan - taxes get raised, McClueless claims he couldn’t stop a veto proof vote from Council so it’s not his fault, Tara says she didn’t raise taxes the first year she took over, and everybody goes to bed happy on New Year’s Eve, except the taxpayers?
Raising my taxes for Gracedale is fine with me
McClure is praying they try and do this. You completely misunderstand him, and why he is way more popular than any of them, including Tara, if you think this move bothers him.
Tara has been lobbying Commissioners behind the scenes to raise taxes this year, so she doesn’t have to be the bad guy and do it in ‘27 ? Since she’s advocating for a tax increase, wouldn’t be her tax increase any way ?
The vote will be not even taken because the motion to amend the millage rate will not even get a second. Maybe the appointed one will 2nd it but i think even he is not ready to tax everyone.
Can't imagine the 3 losing R's voting to raise taxes to clean up Lamont's mess for her. Jeff Warren would be sending a Christmas gift to Emrick in his race next year and what's left of McClure's campaign for Congress will officially be over.
Am I hearing this right, Tara is not yet in office and she’s already trying to raise taxes ???
That’s great for you. What about the elderly on fixed incomes? They are being forced out of their homes because of the high property taxes.
Let's be honest here. McClure's budget as presented to Council is a financial disaster configured solely for the purpose of his looking good for the Congressional Race next year. He doesn't care about the taxpayers and he certainly doesn't care about his employees. He will lie to make himself look good and tonight should be a solid vote by council to correct his ridiculous budget. This should be a seven or eight yea's for a tax increase which is the right thing to do.
You don’t just suddenly realize the taxes need to be raised…if you are on council for more than 4 years you knew taxes were coming, but not one peep from any of the council to introduce a resolution or move to review the needs for the future. They all are to blame, and lobbying now is putting the stop sign up AFTER the 12 accidents.
There you go. Raise taxes to take care of lehigh valley planning bull---. And the rainy day found but F the county employees Again!!!!!
Exactly, F the employees.
Gracedale cannot continue on as it is now, namely; a one star facility tagged with an “abuse” designation.
If you didn't figure in your budget for tax increases then you may be living above your means.
The county has needed to raise taxes for a while … McClueless has been squeezing everyone for years and has used Covid monies to prop up his budget so that he could say he didn’t raise taxes for his next political venture… essentially kicking the can down the road on many county services (not just one).
I can afford it. It’s the people on fixed incomes who can’t. You can pay off your mortgage and never own your house. School property taxes over the last 20 years have gone up much more than COLAS that retired people get. Nobody is stopping you from paying more now if you feel that strongly about it lol.
1257. If you live to become elderly and want to retire you have a rude awakening of how to p my increased health insurance costs snd all taxes. Have some empathy for those who worked hard their entire lives and now struggling
Oh, this is going to be must-see entertainment. After a whole year of Republicans dramatically clutching their pearls over the budget “desperately needing more money,” we finally get to watch them… what? Raise taxes? The very thing their own arguments point to?
Please. Let’s not kid ourselves.
Tonight we get to witness the Olympics of Hypocrisy. They’ll huff, they’ll puff, they’ll deliver long, tragic monologues about fiscal doom(specifically Marble Mouth), but the moment they have to put their money where their very loud mouths are? What? Suddenly the room gets real quiet.
Will they make a motion to raise taxes?
Will they support it?
Will they even pretend to take responsibility?
I can’t wait to see them twist themselves into pretzels explaining why the budget needs more money but—surprise!—they absolutely refuse to vote for the one thing that would give it more money.
McClure is not alone in this. He had the new exec following in his footsteps all the way. The others also refused to do what could have averted a tax increase but never spoke up.
If this complicity continues, we all will feel the results.
There was no need to raise taxes while the councils of the past 4 years reviewed and updated their resources using federal funding to generate over 2 million dollars to float Gracedale’ . So where are the millions from the governmental transfer funds tagged for the home? Where did the money go?
It’s too late to lobby for help. It should have been a main 4 years ago when there were IGT funds supporting the county home. No one has acknowledged what happened to it.
You should have voted the Republican team in November. Those you’ve elected have no clue. Remember it’s McClure that now has Gracedale a one star facility tagged for abuse. He brought in a poor Premier administrator then brought in a newly licensed county worker as administrator and continued to bring it to its present state. Stay up with what’s been going on. It was as predictable as all of this. 2026 on going will be worse. My council rep doesn’t respond to me - also predictable.
I love when Lamont comments on this blog!!!
McClure did not bring in Premier management. Stoffa or Brown.
John Stoffa brought us Premier, which turned the home around. McClure dumped Premier and in retrospect, I believe that was a mistake.
BO…Thank you for clarifying the facts. I agree with you that McClure dumping Premier was a mistake,. John had the right vision to manage Gracedale, maybe Holland, with his past knowledge of Gracedale’s needs will help make a difference.
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