Oct. 22, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Bethlehem Township will start the review of a proposed 19.8% increase in property tax tonight, but the number isn’t as intimidating as it looks.
That increase would be 1.5 mills (each mill is $1 in tax per $1,000 of assessed value).
However, the tax would be mostly offset, according to Township Manager Doug Bruce’s budget message, by ending the stormwater fee, which is $105 annually for most property owners.
After the increase and the end of the fee are taken into account, Bruce said the tax increase works out to about $45 annually for an average property, the net of a $150 tax increase on a property assessed at $100,000 less the $105 from the stormwater fee.
The costs covered by the stormwater fee will be moved into the general fund budget. Stormwater costs will be paid via property tax instead of a separate fee.
Bethlehem Township has not raised property taxes since 2019, according to the budget statement, but a fire tax was added.
Bruce has been warning for years that township expenses would exceed revenue.
“Unfortunately, 2026 has turned out to be the year when annual expenses outpaced annual revenue,” he notes in the statement.
Bruce is back in office after a four-month gap. He retired earlier this year and was replaced by Edward Hozza Jr., who resigned in September.
Stormwater costs will go back into the general fund under this budget, accounting for 80% of the increase. The other 20% would cover increasing costs in other areas, including general liability and workers’ compensation insurance, health insurance, pension contributions, funding for fire companies and fuel costs.
The Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners will hold three budget hearings. The first will be tonight at 6 p.m. in the township municipal building, 4225 Easton Ave. It is open to the public and will be available via Zoom.
