Main Line Real Estate Blog

The information below was provided courtesy of the Suburban West Realtors Alliance:

County taxes in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery will remain the same in 2018.

Chester County – The Chester County commissioners have adopted the 2018 general budget, which contains $526.1 million in expenses and revenues. The budget maintains the county’s current real estate tax rate of 4.369 mills. A mill is worth $36.7 million to the county, or $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. The millage package is broken down into four separate categories: 2.876 mills for general fund expenditures; 1.222 mills for debt service; 0.184 mills for library expenditures; and 0.087 mills for parks. In presenting the budget, Chief Operating Officer Mark Rupsis stressed, as county officials have in the past, that not only is the property tax rate in the county among the lowest in the region, but that its financial stability remains strong.

Delaware County – Delaware County officials unveiled a $650 million budget and, as promised, it comes with no real estate tax increase — even as state and federal funding decreases and the need for various services increases. The tax rate remains at 5.604 mills, or 56.04 cents on each $100 of assessed value. “You’ll see even though that’s an immense amount of money, we have a very lean budget here in Delaware County,” county Councilman John McBlain said. “It is a fourth year in a row with no tax increase and I’m very proud of that.” It should be noted Delaware County will undergo a countywide reassessment by 2021. The last countywide reassessment occurred in the county in the late 1990s. Property assessments are legal values established by counties that determine tax bills. Delaware County property owners are slated to receive notice of their new assessments in 2020, and they will be able to file appeals before they are taxed on the new assessment in 2021.

Montgomery County – Montgomery County commissioners unanimously approved the 2018 budget with no tax increase. The budget was presented by county Chief Financial Officer Dean Dortone and includes $403.2 million in expenditures, and approximately $407 million in projected revenues. Real estate taxes account for almost half of the budget’s operating revenue. Thirty-five percent comes from federal and state grants, 13.7 percent is from departmental earnings and slightly less than 1 percent comes from other sources.