Bucks County officials raise prospect of tax hike – Bucks Round-Up – November 17, 2025
Bucks County officials raise prospect of tax hike
Bucks County officials say no tax increase has been finalized for 2025, but the numbers are tightening. Counties across the Philadelphia region are entering the final stretch of budget season with a December 31 deadline and less clarity than usual on state support. Harrisburg’s long-delayed $50.1 billion budget, approved Wednesday, left counties without new transit dollars, cut mental-health funding by two percent, and kept other key line items flat, including 911 fees. Because counties can raise revenue only through property taxes, local leaders warn that gaps in state and federal aid put them in a bind. Bucks County Commissioners Chair Bob Harvie (D) said the county may consider a tax increase to meet growing demand for social services. He argued that need remains even when state support stalls. The stress facing Bucks County may change now that the state budget has been passed.
Record Thanksgiving travel expected
AAA forecasts a record 81.8 million Americans traveling 50 miles or more over the Thanksgiving period from November 25 to December 1. Nearly 90%, about 73 million people, plan to drive, a number that could rise if flight reductions continue or holiday flyers opt to avoid airports. Gas prices are roughly even compared with last year’s average of $3.06 a gallon on Thanksgiving Day. AAA Mid-Atlantic warns drivers to expect heavy congestion on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and again Sunday as travelers head home. The organization urges motorists to check batteries and tire pressure, pack emergency kits, and fuel up the night before departing. Last year, AAA responded to nearly 600,000 roadside calls over the holiday stretch. Safety advocates note that impaired driving remains a major threat; from 2019 to 2023, drunk-driving crashes accounted for 35% of Thanksgiving traffic fatalities.
Two men sentenced in 2016 Bristol Township murder
Two Philadelphia men received lengthy prison terms Friday for the 2016 killing of Herbert Lyals in Bristol Township. George Javon Clark, 34, convicted in July of third-degree murder, was sentenced to 20 to 40 years. John Marquis Wilson, 45, who pleaded guilty to related charges, received 16 to 32 years. Prosecutors said the pair targeted Lyals for robbery on his 38th birthday and that Clark fatally shot him outside a relative’s home. Local detectives and the county’s Investigating Grand Jury were credited with breaking open the long-running case.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490.
