Expect higher taxes in Central Bucks School District

The Central Bucks School Board has indicated a tax hike is on the horizon to meet the district’s contracts with teachers and other staff and plan for its full-day kindergarten and grade realignment initiatives.
Just how much the increase will cost taxpayers is unclear.
Under Act 1, the state’s property tax relief law passed in 2006, school districts are restricted from tax increases exceeding 5.3%. If it wants a bigger hike, it needs get voters’ support via a referendum.
Should officials approve a tax hike at the maximum rate, a property assessed at the average would generate an additional $278 in taxes during the 2024-2025 school year.
Central Bucks’ proposed $420 million budget will need some $10 million in cuts to forgo a significant tax hike, administrators said.

The tax increase, however much it may be, will be the fourth consecutive one for the state’s fourth-largest school district.
Last year, the board approved a 2.75% millage hike, costing a taxpayer with an average property assessment of $40,000 approximately $141. That supported the district’s $388 million budget, which was up 6.6% from 2022.
The previous two increases were smaller, costing homeowners about another $75. There were no tax increases in the prior six years.
A vote on the budget is expected at a special full board meeting June 18.

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