Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Taxes Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents assail Delaware County over tax hikes, transparency and recent tax-sale case
Summary
At a county council meeting, residents urged sharper transparency on budgets and website records, protested a recent tax-sale that removed a longtime homeowner and demanded equal enforcement of tax obligations for officials and residents.
Public commenters pressed Delaware County Council on Wednesday over a recent property-tax foreclosure and the county's broader tax increase, accusing officials of unequal treatment and demanding clearer public records.
"You talk consistently about transparency and accountability…But transparency means keeping information accurate," said a resident who identified herself as Kathy from Haverford, calling for "honest complete communication about the county's tax burden and expenses." Another resident, Cynthia Sabatini of Upper Providence Township, criticized a tax-deferral program tied to the 2025 millage increase and warned it could create liens that sap homeowners' equity.
Council members and staff responded during public comment that the county offers payment plans used by roughly 600 property owners and that tax-collection actions must follow Pennsylvania statutes. "When responsible arrangements have been made within a set time frame, a home must go on into a tax sale process," a council member said, adding that the county treasurer's office tries outreach before sales and that some contested taxes in a cited case were school-district taxes, not county taxes.
Speakers also criticized the county's recently relaunched website as hard to navigate and said important budget and audit documents appeared missing or misfiled. Council members and staff said they will work with IT to improve search and direct links to budget and controller audit pages and invited specific examples via the county's public contact channels.
The meeting's public-comment period covered other recurring concerns — park maintenance and reuse of county properties, family-court grievances and perceived delays in audits — but tax policy and transparency accounted for the most sustained criticism. Council members acknowledged limitations on county authority in some areas (for example, elected judicial operations) while promising continued outreach and review of website usability.
The council did not take a policy vote on any of the public requests during the meeting; it moved on to routine agenda business after the comment period.
