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Delaware County council adopts $418.5 million 2026 budget, raises property tax rate
Summary
Delaware County Council narrowly approved Ordinance 2025-09 adopting a $418,519,092 operating budget and a five-year capital plan, increasing the county millage to raise an average $188 more per homeowner annually; the measure passed on a 4–1 roll call after heated public comment about spending and transparency.
Delaware County Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-09 on Dec. 10, 2025, approving a $418,519,092 operating budget for fiscal 2026 and a five‑year capital spending program totaling $440,649,128. The ordinance sets combined county millage at 0.4609 per $100 of assessed value, which the county estimates will raise an average $188 annually for the typical homeowner.
The budget passed by roll call vote after several hours of debate and a public-comment period in which dozens of residents urged delay, deeper cuts, or elimination of recently created programs. The council recorded four ayes and one nay: the final roll call in chamber recorded Ms. Reuther voting aye, Council Member Schaffer voting nay, and Council Members Madden, Womack and Taylor voting aye.
Why it mattered: county leaders said the increase is required to close a structural deficit and to maintain mandated services. Executive Director Barbara O’Malley told the council the county lacks a robust fund balance and has limited options besides increasing recurring revenue: "We can either borrow money, which costs more money, or make sure that we have money on hand to pay our bills," she said. O’Malley and staff presented details explaining that approximately 33% of county operating dollars go to courts and prisons and that Fair Acres, the county nursing facility, is budgeted at break-even.
Opponents argued the increase was too large and too sudden after recent hikes. Council Member Schaffer said the jump places a disproportionate burden on residents and favored a phased approach to raising revenue. Several public commenters urged the council to delay the vote, to revisit discretionary spending (including the health department and certain capital projects), or to pursue additional cost-containment measures before increasing property taxes.
Details of the ordinance: the operating budget is $418,519,092; the capital spending program for 2026–2030 is $440,649,128. The ordinance sets the general county tax at 0.4008 per $100 of assessed value and the debt-service rate at 0.0601 per $100, for a combined 0.4609 per $100. The county presented estimated homeowner impacts based on an average assessed value of $255,000.
What happens next: with passage of Ordinance 2025-09 the county will implement the 2026 appropriations and begin the fiscal year under the adopted millage. Council members said cost-containment work and the budget task force will continue meeting; opponents signaled plans to press for discretionary cuts and for greater public information on spending. The council adjourned at the end of the evening.
Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the meeting transcript and include Executive Director Barbara O’Malley and Council Members Schaffer, Womack and Madden.
