Montgomery County increases property taxes by 4% in 2026 budget

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Montgomery County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved its 2026 budget Thursday.

The county is raising property taxes by 4% to generate a small amount of additional revenue for its general fund, about $12 million.

Dean Dortone, the county’s chief financial officer, said the increase will equate to roughly $36 more in property taxes next year for the average single family dwelling.

Commissioner Tom DiBello, the lone Republican on the board, said he understands residents’ concerns about tax increases over the past five years. But, he said that he “can’t change what happened in the past,” and he is focused on the two years he and Democratic Commissioners Neil Makhija and Jamila Winder have been on the board.

“I can only focus on ensuring that Montgomery County is financially stable, and we have to be fiscally responsible,” DiBello said at the commissioners’ meeting Thursday.

The county had a $55 million deficit as a starting point, DiBello said, which would have equated to an 18% tax increase. Commissioners “worked very hard,” he said, to reduce the deficit by approximately $30 million.

“There’s things within this budget that … I still don’t agree with,” he said. “There’s certain positions and different things that were added through 2025 that I don’t agree with. But more importantly, my position as a county commissioner is to ensure that we have a foundation in place so that we don’t see what happened in some other counties recently, where you see 18%, 19%, 20% tax increases.”

Of the four collar counties, Delaware County passed the highest property tax increase in its 2026 budget, at 19%. Bucks County is raising taxes by 8% next year. Chester County approved a budget without any tax increase for residential property owners.

Montgomery County’s general fund expenditures in 2026 are projected to be $632.7 million, according to Dortone.

The bipartisan support for the county budget was an achievement in and of itself, said Makhija. It had been nearly a decade since the last time the county passed its budget with unanimous support.

“This is something that’s eluded both Congress, the Pa. General Assembly, in terms of getting a bipartisan budget done — and done on time,” he said. “I think it sends a signal to all residents that we’re here working together, and we’re not just here to score political points, but we’re actually trying to do what’s best for the county.”

Makhija said commissioners found “common ground” on the following budget investments: a new emergency behavioral health center; housing shelters in Lansdale, Norristown and Pottstown; parks and trails; and new emergency radios for local police, firefighters and emergency medical responders.

The county will continue to seek ways to reduce costs and maximize dollars per the recommendations of its Office of Innovation, Strategy and Performance, said Winder.

“We’ll continue to be open-minded to concerns that people have, and we’re going to continue to work to ensure that Montgomery County continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family,” she said.