The Coplay (Whitehall-Coplay) Borough Council recently adopted a preliminary budget which will increase property taxes 15.8 percent! That would bring the Coplay Borough mill rates to 11 mills!!!

Thank goodness the Whitehall-Coplay school district taxes are some of the lowest in the Lehigh Valley. But the borough taxes are helping to to take away from that advantage.

When you are paying property taxes, you have the county, the local (the borough or city), and the school district taxes. The school taxes are by far the biggest slice of that pie, but when the other slices get bigger it makes the whole pie bigger to pay (or swallow!)

Right now, Whitehall-Coplay school district is one of the best values in the Lehigh Valley when looking for a home. But 11 mills is absolutely outrageous and if it is that high now, what will it be in a few years. We must stay on top of our boroughs, towns and school districts to make sure Lehigh Valley property taxes stay at a fair and reasonable level

As it stands now, Allentown, and Easton school districts (which includes Palmer Twp and Forks Twp) are spiraling out of control. A $200k home could cost as much as 4-5k a year! The same home in Whitehall-Coplay, or Northampton School district will cost you half that in annual property taxes.

It seems the worse the area, the worse the schools, the higher the taxes. What sense does that make? But when you allow small towns like Coplay to raise taxes almost 16 percent in one year, soon there will be no place to buy a home with affordable property taxes in the Lehigh Valley.

Click Here to view of homes for sale in Whitehall-Coplay School District

Beautiful Lowhill Townshipin Lehigh County recently adopted their 2009 budget and it calls for no hikes in property taxes. The current level is only 2 mils which is one of the lowest rates in the Lehigh Valley. Property values in Lowhill do remain high as it is a very desirable area with homes ranging in the 250k – 450k range and higher. Still, it is nice to know they property taxes are reasonable and this will help you get more home for your money.

If you would like more information on homes available in Lowhill Township please contact me

Chris Hoffman
Keller Williams Real Estate
610-533-4549

For the second straight year , it looks like Palmer Township supervisors are planning to raise property taxes again. The have tentatively approved a 14 percent tax hike on property taxes. That’s up from 5.5 mills to 6.25 mills. Property taxes are already too high, but still not as bad as Forks township. Both Palmer and Forks are a favorite destination for NJ commuters looking to get more bang for their buck, But PA residents who look at homes in Palmer and Forks are shocked when they see the outrageous property taxes. I guess since the townships border NJ they think its ok to tax and spend with no regard to whether or people can afford it or not. These recently approved and soon to be property tax hikes should do wonders for the real estate market in those townships.

Northampton County Executive John Stoffa on Monday announced his proposed 2009 $330 million budget, indicating the tax rate will remain at 10.8 mills. That means a resident with a property assessed at $50,000 will continue to pay $540 in county real estate tax. It would be the seventh time in 10 years that the tax rate has remained steady for county property owners.

Source: The Morning Call, 9.23.08