If you are pricing a home in Lower Saucon Township this fall, which line on the property tax bill should get your attention? Going by the headlines, it's the township's line. WFMZ's coverage of the proposed 2027 Lower Saucon budget called it a 30% property tax hike. The percentage is accurate. But the township's line is the smallest of the three levies on a Lower Saucon bill. On the same house, the county's proposed increase costs more than twice as much. The township's increase matters for a different reason. It shows that a revenue source which kept Lower Saucon's rate low for decades is getting smaller.
Every Tax Figure Quoted This Fall Uses 2026 Rates
Any annual tax figure you see on a Lower Saucon home this fall was calculated with 2026 rates, because 2027 rates don't exist yet. Two of the three levies on that bill are now under formal review. The township and Northampton County both have to adopt their 2027 budgets in December.
Lower Saucon Township Council voted unanimously on October 21 to advertise its proposed budget for a 20-day public inspection period. The $10.7 million plan raises the township rate by 1.75 mills, to 7.49 total. That's 5.99 mills for the general fund and 1.5 for the fire fund. At the October 7 presentation, township officials estimated the increase at $152.04 a year for a property assessed at $86,867. Council can still lower that number. According to WFMZ, Acting Township Manager John J. Finnigan Jr. advised council against leaning too heavily on reserves to do so.
Where Each Mill Goes
The 2026-2027 millage table from Northampton County's assessment office, revised as of July 1, 2026, lists Lower Saucon's combined rate at 72.2976 mills. That's 5.74 for the township, 55.7576 for the Saucon Valley School District and 10.8 for the county. The district's published tax information lists the same 55.7576 mills for 2026-27.
The table below applies those rates to the township's own example property, assessed at $86,867. The dollar amounts are our calculations from the published rates. The 2027 column assumes both proposals pass unchanged.
| Levy | 2026 rate | Proposed 2027 rate | 2026 tax on $86,867 | Proposed 2027 tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saucon Valley School District | 55.7576 | 55.7576, set for the 2026-27 school year | about $4,844 | about $4,844 |
| Northampton County | 10.8 | 15.5 | about $938 | about $1,346 |
| Lower Saucon Township | 5.74 | 7.49 | about $499 | about $651 |
| Combined | 72.2976 | 78.7476 | about $6,280 | about $6,841 |
The school district accounts for about 77% of the combined rate, and its rate is already set for the current school year. The township, even after its proposed increase, would account for under a tenth. If both proposals pass, the combined bill on this example home goes up roughly $560, or about 9%. About $408 of that comes from the county and $152 from the township.
The County Proposal Moves More Dollars
County Executive Tara Zrinski's proposed 2027 Northampton County budget, dated October 2, 2026, raises the county rate from 10.8 mills to 15.5. The Morning Call reported that this is a 43.5% increase. For the average residential property countywide, assessed at $62,000, the county bill would go from $669 to $961. Lower Saucon's example assessment is higher than that countywide average, so the county increase there is larger, too.
WFMZ reported the county's reasons for the increase. They include underfunded employee retirement, needs at Gracedale and the county jail, and employee pay. At an October council meeting covered by The Morning Call, most of the 18 residents who spoke opposed the increase. One of them was a Lower Saucon resident. The paper quoted Zrinski telling the room:
"This budget represents a public commitment."
Council President Ken Kraft told the paper that members had been "inundated with emails." The budget can still change through amendments before the votes.
Why the Township Rate Stayed So Low
Lower Saucon's rate looks small next to the county and school district because, for decades, the township had another revenue source. Bethlehem Landfill, at 2335 Applebutter Road, pays the township host fees. A study commissioned by the landfill, as reported by The Morning Call in May 2025, estimated that host fees made up about 30% of the township's 2025 budget. The township controller put the 2025 figure at nearly 24%. The two estimates differ, but both are large shares for a township budget.
The township's own budget document shows the trend in that revenue:
- 2024 year-end: $2,307,558
- 2025 year-end: $1,979,326
- 2026: $1,750,000 budgeted, $2,124,676 forecast
- 2027 proposed: $1,850,000
The township rate moved in the opposite direction. Lehigh Valley Public Media reported that the 2025 budget held the rate at 5.14 mills, including 0.9 for fire, with $2.3 million in landfill host fees in the plan. The 2026 rate was 5.74 mills. The 2027 proposal is 7.49. If it passes, the township rate will have gone up about 46% in two years.
Township officials haven't linked the 2027 increase to the landfill. The reasons they gave are cost pressures. According to WFMZ, medical benefit costs for township staff are expected to rise 20%, and salaries and benefits make up two-thirds of the budget. The Citizen Portal summary of the October 21 meeting adds large increases in diesel and gasoline costs and a millage rate that had stayed largely flat for many years. Those costs recur every year, and the landfill revenue that helped cover them now depends on an expansion that has stalled.
What a Court Ruling Did to That Revenue
The Bethlehem Landfill's future depends on an expansion that is tied up in court. Lehigh Valley Press reported in March 2026 on a December 2025 ruling by Judge Abe Kassis in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. The ruling upheld two conservation easements that bar landfills on more than 200 acres of the operator's land. It found that township council lacked the authority to void them, and that only Orphans' Court has that power. As of that report, the state Department of Environmental Protection had not issued the Phase V major permit modification the expansion also needs.
The landfill's own 2025 study projected that without expansion, the site would reach capacity and close around 2028, and host-fee revenue would stop. It estimated that host-fee receipts since 1998 have totaled about $43 million. The landfill paid for that study, so treat its numbers as the operator's estimates. Still, the direction for township finances is clear. The township rate rose to 5.74 in 2026 and is proposed at 7.49 for 2027, and the money that kept it near 5 mills is getting harder to count on.
Reading Lower Saucon Next to Hellertown
Most buyers in Saucon Valley compare Lower Saucon with Hellertown, and both are in the Saucon Valley School District. On the county's July 2026 table, Hellertown's combined rate is 89.5576 mills, with a borough levy of 23.0. Lower Saucon's combined rate is 72.2976. Both municipalities would pay the county increase if it passes. The proposed township increase would cut Lower Saucon's municipal advantage over Hellertown by 1.75 mills, before any change Hellertown Borough Council makes to its own 2027 rate.
In other words, part of Lower Saucon's lower tax rate came from landfill revenue, and without the expansion that revenue runs out when the site reaches capacity. Buyers who expect to own for a long time should factor that in. For sellers listing in 2027, a buyer's lender will be working from whatever rates the township and county adopt in December.
The township says services won't change in any meaningful way. The open space budget adds windows for the Heller Homestead and board replacement at the Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Reserve. Capital projects carried over from earlier budgets include a rail trail bathroom, the Southeastern Park playground and the Peach Tree stormwater replacement.
The 2027 rates will be set between now and mid-December:
- November, first township meeting: Lower Saucon officials present a revised budget with council's changes.
- December 3: Northampton County Council takes its first vote on the county budget.
- December 15: The county's final vote is scheduled.
- December 17: The county's deadline to adopt its 2027 budget.
- December: Lower Saucon Township Council is scheduled to approve its final budget.
This post reports proposed budgets for general information only. It isn't tax, legal or financial advice. Please confirm what applies to your property with a qualified tax professional.
If you're planning a Saucon Valley purchase or a 2027 sale and want to compare carrying costs using the rates actually adopted in December, The Rebecca Francis Team can go through the comparison with you once the votes are in. Request a private consultation.
