Upper Darby passes its budget after weeks of delays caused by lawsuits and clashes with residents
Upper Darby approved a budget weeks late after a planned income tax was struck down in court.
Upper Darby City Council approved its 2025 budget more than six weeks after its Dec. 31 deadline.
The council voted 7 to 3 Thursday night to approve a $97.8 million budget that will fund township government and services through the end of the year. The vote was along party lines with two Republicans and an independent voting no.
The Democratic-led council was unable to pass a budget on time after a Delaware County judge struck down a new township tax ordinance just before Thanksgiving that would have added an additional $15 million to the approved budget.
The township council, the judge ruled, had made procedural errors in approving a 1% earned income tax and a resolution limiting public comment in council meetings.
The newly approved budget instead pulls money from the township’s reserve funds to fill gaps left by the lost tax revenue. The council is also set to vote next week on a 1% earned income tax that would take effect in August.
If the tax is approved, some of the reserve funds would not be used, Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown said Thursday. He also urged his colleagues on council to consider reducing property taxes if the earned income tax is authorized.
The budget was approved with relatively little discussion, but Brown, a Democrat, said he was proud of his administration’s ability to pivot after November’s court ruling.
“We have adapted and delivered a realistic 2025 budget,” he said.
The budget faced pushback from some members of the public who oppose the earned income tax and minority members of the council. Councilwoman Laura Wentz, an unaffiliated council member who left the Democratic Party after being elected, said she was concerned the township was overspending.
“I do think there were other ways that funds could have been cut,” Wentz said.
Six members of the council are up for reelection this year. Four of those members have already said they will not seek reelection, according to the Delco Times.