MEDIA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Property taxes in Delaware County are going up again, this time by 19%. Delaware County Council approved the hike 4-1 on Wednesday night, saying it is necessary to overcome a deficit. Homeowners, however, are frustrated, as this is the third consecutive increase.
Delaware County residents had to account for a nearly 24% property tax increase last year, and a 5% hike the year before that. Now, in 2026, the tax bill will rise by another 19%.
County Communications Director Michael Connolly said the increase was needed because spending has persistently outpaced revenue. But since that structural deficit will now get fully addressed, officials don’t expect another dramatic hike in the near future.
“We won’t need to use any dollars from the fund balance to be able to balance our budget moving forward, nor would we need to plug it with one-time money,” he explained. “This closes the remaining gap, this 19%.”
“My goal is zero to a minimum increase in any kind of taxes moving forward,” echoed Delaware County Council Vice Chair Richard Womack.
But after three consecutive tax hikes, Media resident Michael Straw said he’ll believe it when he sees it.
“I have no guarantee that they’re not going to do it again, because we look at each and every budget and it’s growing by a large rate. How are we not going to see an increase again?” he questioned.
Media resident Walt Rogers volunteered for the county’s Citizen Budget Task Force, which reviewed Delco’s finances and suggested cost-cutting and revenue-generating measures. While he’s frustrated to pay more, Rogers said Delco seems to be on the right track.
“I hope that they keep it going, because I think we only scratched the surface in the past year,” he said. “There’s a lot of places that they could cut spending.”
The average Delaware County homeowner will see a monthly increase of a little more than $15, or $188 over the whole year.