Press Release:

The Montgomery County Commissioners today voted to release the Proposed 2027 General Fund Budget and Capital Improvement Plan, which proposes no increase in County taxes while continuing to fund essential services and investments for residents.

“This is a bipartisan budget with a simple bottom line: no proposed increase to County taxes. At a time when our residents are paying more for housing, transportation, childcare, healthcare, and everyday necessities, we have a responsibility to be just as disciplined with their tax dollars,” said Jamila H. Winder, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “We challenged ourselves to find savings, pursue grant funding, and make tough choices. This proposal shows that we can be fiscally responsible while continuing to deliver the services our residents count on.”

“Last year, we passed the first bipartisan budget that Montgomery County has seen in nearly a decade. Now, with no tax increase, we will reduce the financial strains on our residents while ensuring their needs are met,” said Neil K. Makhija, Montgomery County Commissioner. “We take seriously our responsibility to protect the services people rely on, and we must continue to make smart investments that strengthen our communities and create opportunities for all. This budget is about being disciplined with taxpayer dollars while meeting the needs of our 850,000 residents.”

“When revenues decline and costs rise, holding the line on taxes requires discipline,” said Tom DiBello, Montgomery County Commissioner. “We have been focused on finding savings throughout County government and making sure we distinguish between what we want and what we truly need. There will always be more work to do, but this proposed budget demonstrates our commitment to the sound financial future of this County.”

The 2027 Proposed General Fund Budget and Capital Improvement Plan balances the needs of over 850,000 residents with fiscal responsibility. Like many local governments in the Commonwealth and across the country, Montgomery County is facing rising inflation, declining state and federal funding, and unfunded mandates requiring services without sufficient resources or dedicated funding. The proposed budget takes into consideration the service levels that our residents need without overburdening taxpayers.

The County’s rising costs are exemplified by an average 7.2% annual increase in healthcare costs since 2021, despite renegotiating contracts, and a 10.6% increase in software licenses for essential work in just the last year. At the same time, Montgomery County is receiving $1.7 million less in state funding for expenses like services for older adults and commerce programs, as well as the expiration of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and ongoing uncertainty over the future of federal funding. The County also expects a $3.4 million reduction in taxes and other revenue in 2027, due to appeals in commercial real estate assessments and other fees.

Residents are not unfamiliar with the burdens of rising costs. From August 2025 to August 2026, those living in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region have seen an increase of 4.2% across the Consumer Price Index, including 4.7% for housing, 4.9% for childcare, and 6.9% for transportation, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To balance those pressures without increasing County taxes, the County identified savings of $10.2 million in operational efficiencies, $6 million through vacancy management, and $15.2 million in 2027 savings and designated usage of fund balances. Costs were also offset by $9.3 million in increased grant revenue.

This approach builds on savings achieved during 2026. The County currently projects ending 2026 with expenses $6.2 million below the 2026 budget, driven by vacancy savings and intentional, ongoing cost-saving measures. This has reduced the projected draw from reserves by $2.9 million for 2026.

The Proposed 2027 General Fund Budget and Capital Improvement Plan is available at montgomerycountypa.gov/finance. The budget is also available in a storybook version from OpenGov, which highlights key investments according to the four pillars of the County’s strategic plan. 

Communities for All

• $5.7 million in housing priorities and supportive housing, including opening three new facilities in Lansdale, Norristown, and Pottstown, as well as critical shelter services during extreme winter weather.   

• $30.7 million for ongoing upgrades and maintenance of County roads and bridges, supporting the safe travel of upwards of 250 million vehicles each year.  

• $16.8 million to improve and maintain 6,000 acres of the County’s public parks, trails, and historic sites that over 3 million people visit each year.    

Public Health & Safety for All

• $6.1 million to operate the new $16-million Emergency Behavioral Health Center, a 24/7, walk-in crisis care facility opening this winter that will provide immediate support for mental health and substance use issues for residents of all ages. 

• $23 million to support public safety and the County’s 9-1-1 and emergency telecommunications system, which provides call processing and dispatch for 72 fire departments, 20 EMS squads, 52 police departments, and County agencies, at a rate of 1,700 calls per day in 2025.   

Opportunities for All

• $2 million to complete the investment in the $5 million Trail Junction Center project that will create a new community “third space” and gateway to Norristown, serving both trail users and the broader community. 

• $350,000 for the Nourish Montco grant program, which funds the direct purchase of high-demand, nutritious food for over 70 local pantries and providers across the county.

 Government for All

• $1 million in new language translation services that will make County programs and services more accessible to residents who need language assistance, while also leveraging the County’s purchasing power to help nonprofits and local governments expand language access in communities across Montgomery County. 

• Up to $18 million for new voting equipment that would replace aging machines, allowing the County to administer faster, more efficient, and less resource-intensive elections with significantly increased ballot-scanning capacity, streamlined write-in processing, and reduced paper waste and overtime costs. 

The Proposed 2027 General Fund Budget real estate tax millage rate remains unchanged at 5.642 mills, and the County encourages residents to know where their property tax dollars go. For every dollar the average resident pays in property taxes, only 12 cents goes to Montgomery County; the rest goes to local school districts (75 cents), municipalities (12 cents) and the Montgomery County Community College (one cent).

Residents earning a fixed or low income may be eligible to enroll in a tax abatement program to minimize the impact of any tax increases on their household finances. Additionally, the Board of Commissioners passed the volunteer emergency services tax rebate program in 2024, allowing volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel to apply for up to 100% County property tax relief, if either in active volunteer service or injured in the line of duty. More information about these programs is available at www.montgomerycountypa.gov/Finance.

Public feedback on the Proposed 2027 Budget and Capital Improvement Plan:

Residents have several opportunities to provide feedback on the proposed budget, which is available online at www.montgomerycountypa.gov/Finance.

For the first time, Montgomery County will also release a public budget dashboard that explains how the County budget works and lets residents explore the numbers, including comparisons to prior years. The dashboard will explain the difference between what the County does and what municipalities and school districts do, and where a resident’s tax money actually goes. The budget dashboard will be available online at www.montgomerycountypa.gov/Finance.

The Commissioners will hold two public hearings on the 2027 Proposed Budget and Capital Improvement Plan on:  

• Thursday, December 3 at 10 a.m. 

• Thursday, December 3 at 5:30 p.m. 

Individuals can also submit comments via email to commissioners@montgomerycountypa.gov, or mail comments to: Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404.

The Commissioners will consider the budget for adoption at their regularly scheduled board meeting on Thursday, December 17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

Video of the November 10, 2026 Board of Commissioners Meeting is available here.

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Photo: Montgomery County