Reading Introduces 2026 Budget with First Property Tax Hike in 4 Years

Reading introduces 2026 budget with first property tax hike in 4 years

Reading’s proposed $284 million budget for 2026 would include a property tax increase, the city’s first in four years. City Council at a special meeting Monday heard the administration’s proposal for next year’s budget, including a proposed tax increase aimed at maintaining essential services and narrowing the city’s growing structural deficit. A structural deficit results when regular, ongoing expenses are higher than regular, ongoing revenues.…

Reading’s budget talks begin with proposed property tax hike

Officials in Reading say the city may see its first property tax increase in years, but some business owners say they are already struggling to survive.