The Bucks County Commissioners – two Democrats and one Republican – unanimously approved the 2025 budget Monday without raising taxes.
The nearly $500 million spending plan maintains current county tax rates as other Philadelphia collar counties have made headlines for tax increases. The budget marks a 2.7 percent increase over 2024.
The budget’s passage on Wednesday followed months of preparation by county staff, which began in the summer. A recent budget hearing was largely without fireworks.
According to the budget, the commissioners, courts, and elected row officers are seeing their office spending increase in the new year. The coroner’s office will have the largest, with a 27.3 percent jump in spending.
Approximately 75 percent of the budget will go toward public safety, health, housing, and human services. The agencies and departments are often the largest areas of spending for the county.
The county’s funding to cash-strapped SEPTA, which has Regional Rail, buses, and paratransit service in the county, will rise from $5.3 million to $5.6 million. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro had asked counties to increase the amount they put toward the public transit agency.
The adopted budget will start the new year with a general fund balance of $68 million, a roughly $1 million increase over the start of 2024.
Commissioner Bob Harvie, a Democrat, highlighted the passage of a budget without raising taxes.
“Of the four collar counties, I think we’re the only one not doing a tax increase this year,” he said.
Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican, said he was proud the county was able to hold the line on taxes.
“I’m really happy and quite frankly, proud that we’re not raising taxes this year,” he said.
“The responsible stewardship of tax dollars is the most important part of our job as commissioners – without it none of the critical services our departments provide to county residents are possible,” said Commissioner Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat.
Chief Financial Officer David Boscola and Chief Operating Officer Margaret McKevitt were credited for their roles in crafting the budget by the commissioners.
“I want to thank Dave Boscola for the hard work you and the staff in your office have done in putting this together,” DiGirolamo said. “And also want to thank our COO, Margie as well, because I know she was heavily involved as far as myself and the other commissioners were making sure we were informed about what was going on and we had input into what was going on.”
“Thank you to department heads, rows, courts and to Dave for putting together a budget that is presented to you all and passed today,” said McKevitt, the county’s COO. “We have a working operating budget that we can certainly fulfill many of the services of Bucks County residents and business owners need.”
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