Doylestown Borough. Photo by James Short.
Doylestown Borough is proposing a 0.5-mill increase in its 2026 final budget, due to "an extraordinary $356,785 increase in Doylestown Borough’s share of the Central Bucks Regional Police Department’s 2026 budget" that created a $292,498 deficit, according to a news release.
To address this deficit, the 2026 Preliminary General Fund Budget includes property tax, parking fee, and parking fine increases, the borough said.
With the proposed increase, the average homeowner will pay $674.86 in total Borough Real Estate taxes in 2026, an increase of $15.45, the borough said.
According to the borough, its municipal tax continues to be the smallest portion of a homeowner’s overall real estate tax bill, accounting for 11.15% of the total taxes paid.
In addition, parking meter and lot fees will increase from $1.50 per hour to $1.75 per hour, and the expired parking meter fine will increase from $20 to $25.
The new $1.75 meter fee places the borough at roughly the regional average while the new $25 expired meter fine is equivalent to the lowest in the region, according to a news release.
Although water rates are expected to remain below the regional average, the average quarterly household water bill will increase by $7.08 in 2026 as the borough deals with rising chemical, electric, and drought-related costs, the borough said.
Doylestown Borough continues to take steps to address the nationwide PFOS/PFAS contamination crisis, and EPA’s stringent new lead regulations, according to the news release.
Despite the receipt of a $6 million Pennvest Grant and low-interest loan, the borough’s cost to fund PFOS/PFAS and lead remediation is estimated to cost an additional $5 million over the next five years with significant increases in operating expenses for water treatment to follow.
Council is expected to adopt the budget by the end of the month.
The Preliminary 2026 Budget Message can be found here.
The Adopted 2026 Preliminary Budget can be found here.
