(Editor’s note: the meeting ended at 7:04 p.m. It started at 4:30 p.m. This was not a big meeting as far as this budget goes.)
Oct. 21, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Northampton County Council took its first shots at the proposed $567 million budget for 2027, which comes with a 44% tax increase.
County Executive Tara Zrinski said the county needs to “catch up” after years of not raising taxes.
Many property owners feel they’re the ones being caught, between inflation, higher school and municipal taxes and now an estimated average increase of $24 monthly to the county.
So few people are happy, and that includes Zrinski and members of County Council, who don’t put the budget together but are getting tarred with it all the same. Council reviews and sometimes amends the budget, which comes from the Executive and her administration.
Council has nine part-time members, working through a budget set by an administration with 1,920 full-time employees. It’s an arduous task at best, and this year is not the best. It’s the worst.
The $567 million proposed budget divided by 324,000 county residents works out to $1,778 spent per resident.
A few comments from taxpayers at Wednesday’s first budget hearing:
“Too much at one time” was the statement from Charlies Diefenderfer of Palmer Township. He said the $24 per month works out to about a third of the 2027 Cost of Living Adjustment for average Social Security recipients.
From Upper Nazareth, Greg Smith said a local church plans to turn the heat down to deal with energy costs, a reflection on higher costs for all.
“I have to live within my budget,” county resident Al MacIorowski said. He called the proposed increase “outrageous and extortionate.”
Council went over some smaller line items Wednesday, including the budgets for elected officials.
Nothing big came out of the meeting but at least three more will be held. Council President Ken Kraft asked his fellow commissioners (members of Council are known as commissioners) to focus on agenda items, not issues that will come up later.
Commissioner Jason Boulette said “too much is being done in one year.” He also noted $12.2 million going into the county pension plan in 2027. Boulette came ready with questions, some about relatively small line items.
Lori Vargo Heffner, a commissioner and former Council president, asked the administration about the daycare center at Gracedale, which was promoted as a way to retain employees at the nursing home.
“How many people are actually using the daycare and what’s the actual expense to date?” she asked. Those numbers will come up when the Gracedale budget is reviewed.
Much of what Council looked at Wednesday was either relatively small, and some items are bound to increase because of contracts, Brandon Dunstane, acting director of fiscal affairs, told Council.
The fiscal affairs office has no permanent director at this time. Zrinski chose an experienced Certified Public Accountant for the post, but after Council reduced the proposed pay the candidate dropped out.
Below is the county’s list of hearings:
Notice is hereby given that the Northampton County Council will be conducting special meetings on October 21, 2026, October 28, 2026, November 4, 2026, and November 18, 2026. All of the meetings will commence at 4:30 p.m. and will be held in the County Council meeting room, room 3116, Northampton County Government Center, 669 Washington Street, Easton, PA. The November 18, 2026, meeting will begin following the Personnel and Finance Committee meetings. The purpose of the meetings will be to review the Proposed 2027 Northampton County Budget and Northampton County Capital Improvements Plan, as well as to conduct any other pending business.
Jason Boulette … said too much is being done in one year … 1/1/26 latest report it was 90% … pension funded …
JB … is our pension fund funded to a healthy percentage? … DB … if you dont contiute it’s very easy for that to backslide … 90% … just in the range …
pensION talk … 458 pm Tue
$12.2 million in 2027 versus projected $1.8 million in 2026
cellular phones and line items of around $10,000 …
NorCo population about 324,000
