Montgomery County passes 2025 budgets with 9% tax increase | Southeastern Pennsylvania

NORRISTOWN, Pa. – The Montgomery County Commissioners’ final meeting of 2024 featured the final approval of the 2025 General Fund budget by a 2 to 1 vote with commissioner Thomas DiBello opposed. By unanimous votes, the commissioners approved 8 non-General Fund budgets for 2025 and the 2025 capital fund budget.

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County chief financial officer, Dean Dortone again reviewed key elements of the budgets. He pointed out that the millage rate will increase 9% to 5.642 mills from 5.178 mills in 2024. The proposed increase will add approximately $28.8 million in real estate tax to the 2025 revenue.

Total revenue for 2025, Dortone said, is projected to be $595,167,726, an increase of $27,201,280 above 2024’s anticipated revenue of $567,966,446.

The proposed 2025 budget, according to Dortone, projects a $15.8 million structural deficit. The revenue budget is $27.1 million higher than 2024 while expenditures are projected to be $43.1 million higher than 2024.

By functional areas major expenditures break down to 36.7% for health and human services, 18.1% for county administration, 18% for judicial, 13.6% for corrections, 11.4% for debt service and 2.1% for public safety.

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The 8 non-general fund budgets consist of 7 general revenue funds and one internal service fund. All are supported by dedicated revenue streams for specific purposes. The special revenue funds are primarily funded by federal and state grant programs. In 2025, total expenses for the 8 funds are anticipated to be $370,694,131

The 2025 Capital Improvements budget projects $244.4 million in expenditures, Dortone said. Two new money bond issues anticipated in 2025 are expected to raise $150 million and $15 million respectively. Federal and state grants are expected to provide $53.2 million and other funding sources will provide $10 million.

Major uses of funds from the Capital Budget in 2025 will be $79,440,811 for assets and infrastructure, $67,350,100 for the Planning Commission, $58,210,000 for the county campus plan, $17,184,566 for information technology, and $11,668,340 for public safety.

Commission chair Jamila Winder commented after the presentation: “It’s a complicated dance to accomplish the things we want to accomplish. This was hard but we have promises to deliver on.”

Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority

Tom Frawley, executive director of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority updated the commissioners on the current status of the project. Frawley noted it is intended to restore passenger rail service between Reading and Philadelphia and ultimately extend it to New York City as a “one seat ride.” He pointed out that the SRPRA is starting out with an advantage over similar projects because it already has a double track usable rail line in place and the cooperation of Norfolk Southern, the rail line’s owner. “We could start a passenger train at 80 miles per hour today,” Frawley said.

Existing rail stations in Reading, Pottstown and Phoenixville can potentially be adapted for SRPRA use, he pointed out. Frawley said the budget for Norfolk Southern participation is being finalized and the Service Development plan will be started in January 2025. The plan will include a statement of purpose and need; identification and evaluation of alternatives; ridership and revenue forecasts; operational analysis; station and access analysis; and conceptual engineering and capital programming among other items. During this step public outreach and participation will be expanded.

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Individual communities will have primary responsibility for station buildings and parking facilities according to Frawley. Station facilities are planned in Reading, Pottstown and Phoenixville. If Norristown is served, the existing Norristown Transportation Center would be the station in that community.

Frawley reviewed the many funding sources available at both the federal and state level. The near-term priorities, he noted, are to formalize relationships with host railroads Norfolk Southern and either CSXT or SEPTA, depending on which alignment – east side or west side of the Schuylkill River – is selected. In addition, relationships will be formalized with AMTRAK, the host operator. Also, advanced institutional planning regarding long-term governance will be conducted.

Airy Street Prison Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI)

Bowing to community pressure in late 2023, the Board of Commissioners reversed a decision to demolish the former Norristown Prison and, instead, initiated a restoration project. Scott France, executive director of planning, told the commissioners that the chief goals of the plans for the prison were to maximize the opportunities for a developer to preserve the most architecturally and historically relevant portions of the prison; utilize the entire tract (prison and parking lot) as needed to facilitate the most opportunity for county/municipal uses and architectural preservation; and inspire investment and increased revenue for Norristown.

In addition, the project is intended to enhance the public space and vibrancy of the area in conjunction with the new Justice Center campus as well as limit the county’s public funding toward the preservation of the prison and recognize that private developer funding will be needed to achieve these goals.

According to France, an RFEI is a formal invitation to a developer to submit a proposal for a specific site. It usually contains the goals and expectations for the project and the developers who respond lay out their vision for the project. The components of the RFEI are site characteristics; preservation emphasis; Norristown context; public participation; submission requirements; selection criteria; and post-submission process. Submissions are due April 15.

The county wants to retain 40,000 square feet for county office use, France noted, plus a minimum of 350 parking spaces. The county uses may be integrated with the private uses across the tract or separated out. The preference, he said, is for the county to maintain ownership and use long-term leases for non-county use but creative alternatives will be considered. France anticipates that a short-list of finalists will be selected with additional submission requirements at that stage.