Oct. 21, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Northampton County Council will hold its first budget-review session tonight, and some members vow that cuts are coming to Executive Tara Zrinski’s $567 million spending plan.
Zrinski proposed a 44% tax increase to 15.5 mills from 10.8 mills on Oct. 2, saying the county had to “catch up” after years without an increase. She estimated that the increase would cost an average property owner about $24 per month. Each mill means $1 of tax per assessed of taxable property value.
Since then, some County Council members have said they won’t go along with the increase. Meanwhile, former County Executive Lamont G. McClure Jr., once an ally of Zrinski, has put out a statement defending his eight budgets.
Zrinski did not mention McClure’s name when she dropped her fiscal bomb on the county three weeks ago, but she referred to financial decisions made before she took office.
Some members of County Council are eager to make cuts and to make it clear that the Executive, not Council, proposes the budget. Council’s role is to review it and approve it. Council may make amendments to the budget, but the spending plan must be balanced and Council may not alter revenue projections. That gives the Executive the upper hand in budget matters.
Today’s hearing is for general government, which means the budgets of elected officials, along with Public Works and Capital Projects.
The meeting will start at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers on the third floor of the government center in Easton. The meetings are open to the public and will be shown on the county’s YouTube channel.
My prediction is an increase of 18.5%, or 2 mills. I’m a taxpayer too, so if I turn out to be right, I won’t be celebrating.
The county website was not responding this morning so I was not able to check on to any changes in the schedule.
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.
