The Chester County Commissioners unanimously adopted a budget for 2026 that will not necessitate a tax increase.

After months of work on the spending plan, it was approved by a 3-0 vote by County Commissioners Josh Maxwell, Marian D. Moskowitz, and Eric M. Roe at their final meeting of 2025.

The 2026 budget totals $778,632,816 in projected expenditures. That’s an increase of $33,052,694 from 2025, which is a 4.4 percent year-to-year hike.

The 2026 budget factored in healthcare costs that increased by 4 percent, personnel costs that increased by .7 percent, and operating costs that decreased by .7 percent.

The new budget includes funding for a variety of capital projects, including improvements for the Chester County Prison, the coroner facility and Justice Center elevators.

All three of the County Commissioners talked about the challenges of finalizing a budget that didn’t require a tax increase at a time when costs were increasing in so many areas.

Moskowitz said that county officials were all tasked with finding ways to trim expenditures wherever they could.

“It wasn’t easy getting to a no-increase budget,” Moskowitz said.

Maxwell expanded on that point. He noted that, despite the rising costs for goods and services, funding from the state was flat for 2026 so it was up to county officials to find a way to absorb the increased costs without imposing a tax increase.

“It’s more expensive running a county than it was five years ago,” Maxwell observed.

Roe said that budget, while far from perfect, continued to fund all the county services that residents need.

“I want to thank everybody who worked hard on this budget,” Roe said.