2022 Budget With No Tax Increases Approved For Delaware County

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — The 2022 budget for Delaware County has been approved by the County Council at a recent meeting.

On Dec. 15, the council voted to approve the $794.65 million budget.

This new budget is 5 percent higher than 2021's budget, which stood at $737.69 million.

As last year’s budget did, the new budget includes no new tax hikes.

The millage rate for 2022 is 2.999, which translates to $2.999 in taxes per $1,000 of assessed value.

The new budget has a reduction in operating expenditures of $3.5 million, even as it increases rainy day reserves.

"With this year’s budget, Delaware County Council is keeping the promises we made in last year’s budget to make Delaware County a strong community that reflects both who we are and who we want to be a community," said Delaware County Council Vice Chair Dr Monica Taylor. "By taking steps now to increase opportunity and equity while responsibly managing taxpayer funds, Delaware County will continue to be an excellent place for people to live, work, and raise families."

The 2022 budget is designed to make progress on three main goals, according to the county.

Those goals are to create opportunity and address inequity, build a more sustainable future, and make government more accessible and accountable.

Among the priorities included in this year's budget are:

• Significant investments in open space, greenways, and alternative energy investments;
• continued and long-overdue reforms to the criminal justice and public safety system;
• the creation of the county's first food bank and expansion of the emergency rental assistance program to help the county’s residents most in need;
• the launch and operation of the county's new health department

This year’s budget also builds upon the unprecedented transparency and disclosure of taxpayer spending inaugurated with last year’s budget.

In addition to the budget being available, a new capital budget and data tables detailing the source and uses of all sources of funds — taxes, fees, capital, and grants — have been created.

See the budget online here.