— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure’s proposed 2025 tax rate is on County Council’s agenda tonight, but as “new business.”
That means a final vote will probably be held at the next meeting.
McClure’s spending plan leaves the property-tax rate unchanged at 10.8 mills, which means a $540 bill for a property assessed at $50,000. Once a budget with no increase is announced, most taxpayers don’t pay attention to the process.
McClure’s budgets have cut taxes once, and left them unchanged the other five years.
The county budget process favors the Executive, who has a financial staff. The nine members of council (who are known as commissioners, not council members) are part-timers.
The McClure budget is about a half-billion dollars. Much of the spending is from so-called “pass-throughs,” including services paid for by the Pennsylvania and federal governments.
County Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the government center on Washington Street in Easton. The agenda looks light, but one never knows when a lot of people are going to show up, usually to try to get money or just because they feel like complaining about something.
The meeting will also be broadcast on the county’s YouTube channel.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 