✔ Key points
- Lehigh County’s initial 2027 budget would raise property taxes by nearly 17%.
- Commissioners cut about $1.4 million, reducing proposed millage from 4.45 to 4.41 mills.
- Amendments cut several proposed positions and removed a $500,000 “clean election” grant.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners adopted the 2027 county budget on first reading Wednesday night at the Lehigh County Government Center. The budget would raise property taxes by nearly 17%.
County Executive Joshua Siegel’s original spending plan featured a nearly 18% tax increase on property owners. This translated to a millage rate increase from 3.78 mills to 4.45 mills.
Siegel said in a statement Wednesday night that he did not ask Lehigh County taxpayers “for a penny more than was needed.”…