Warrington enacts no-tax-increase budget with Democrats opposed – Bucks Round-Up – December 12, 2025
Warrington enacts no-tax-increase budget with Democrats opposed
Warrington’s Board of Supervisors passed a no-tax-increase 2026 budget this week. The decision makes the municipality a standout from its surrounding municipalities, as well as Bucks County and Central Bucks School District, all of which have enacted or are pursuing tax hikes this year. Republican supervisors Mike Diorka, Vanessa Maurer, and Brian Kelly voted for the budget while Democrats Ruth L. Schemm and Andrew Macaulay opposed it. While the spending plan will boost the municipal allocation to the Warrington Community Ambulance Corps by $85,000, Macaulay wanted a $185,000 increase, voicing worry that health-insurance enrollment could decline due to an anticipated lapse in federal Obamacare subsidies. Maurer replied that the $85,000 rise is based on inflation and that health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act doesn’t greatly impact the local ambulance budget insofar as local ambulance services rely largely on Medicare and Medicaid.
Schorn to work for PA Attorney General Dave Sunday on cold homicide cases
Pennsylvania Attorney General Joe Khan is hiring Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn (R) to serve as his agency’s director of cold-case homicide investigations and prosecutions, a new position. Schorn will depart her county office next month, having lost her reelection bid to Democratic rival Joe Khan in November. In her two years as Bucks County’s chief prosecutor, she amassed a strong record of solving cold cases, including, most recently, the 1962 murder of nine-year-old Carol Ann Dougherty inside Bristol’s St. Mark’s Catholic Church. A grand jury determined that William Schrader, who died in 2002, killed Dougherty.
Fitzpatrick leads moderates in push to extend ACA tax credits
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is again at the center of a House GOP standoff, this time over expiring Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. With subsidies set to lapse at year’s end — which supporters warn would spell steep premium spikes for millions — Fitzpatrick filed a discharge petition Wednesday aimed at forcing a vote on the Bipartisan Health Insurance Affordability Act. Several Republican moderates quickly signed on, defying leadership resistance to putting the issue on the floor. The proposal would extend the tax credits through 2027 while capping eligibility based on income, a change its backers say would better target assistance to working- and middle-class households. It also broadens access to health savings accounts, allowing unused balances to roll over annually, and adds a modest monthly premium for the lowest-income enrollees to curb fraud. The Senate rejected competing health-care measures Wednesday, leaving the House maneuver as one of the few remaining paths to continuing the credits beyond January 1.
Middletown Township signals major tax hikes to close deficit
Middletown Township residents are bracing for significant tax increases as supervisors prepare to vote Monday on a 2026 budget that raises both real estate and earned income taxes for the first time in over a decade. The $53.1 million operating plan, paired with $5.1 million in capital spending, is designed to shore up a general fund that is projected to fall to its minimum reserve threshold by the end of 2025 after years of drawdowns. The proposal would double the earned income tax from 0.5% to 1% and add 6.08 mills to property taxes — amounting to about $179 more for the average homeowner and roughly $323 more in EIT for a typical wage earner. Township officials say the added revenue is needed to close a $2.8 million deficit, hire staff, and address an estimated $60 million backlog in infrastructure repairs. Residents voiced frustration during public comment, urging spending cuts before tax hikes. Township Manager Eden Ratliff countered that without new revenue, core services — from police response to park maintenance — would face severe reductions.
Fugitive accused of child rapes returned to Bucks County
A Warminster man accused of sexually assaulting three girls has been captured in El Salvador and extradited to Bucks County, District Attorney Jennifer Schorn announced. Noel Angel Yanes, 45, fled after charges were filed in early 2024. Arrested abroad in January, he was returned Wednesday night and arraigned Thursday on multiple counts including rape of a child and unlawful contact with a minor. Authorities said the case underscores their commitment to pursuing fugitives who attempt to evade justice across borders.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490. Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.
