Quakertown committee defers volunteer property tax rebate for 2025�26 moves to study for 2026�27 budget

The Quakertown Community School District finance committee on Jan. 8 discussed whether to adopt an Act 172 volunteer property-tax rebate for the 2025iscal year but decided not to fund the program for the current 2526 year and directed staff to study options for the 2627 budget.

Miss Young summarized the program background and eligibility: the draft resolution mirrors Bucks County and treats volunteer service providers as the qualifying population. She said certification from local chiefs suggested roughly 100 potential participants and that typical rebate tiers range from 25% to 100% of the property-tax liability, with a maximum rebate often capped at $1,000. "We're estimating about 75,000," Miss Young told the committee as a preliminary fiscal impact estimate.

Committee members pressed on timing and budget impact. One committee member noted the rebate was not included in the 2526 budget and said, "I am not in favor of doing it for the 2526 school year," indicating the committee would not adopt the resolution this year. Members recommended staff reach out to nearby municipalities to understand lower participation rates elsewhere and return with refined cost estimates and participation modeling.

Next steps: finance staff will compile municipality participation data, refine the cost model (including options for tiered rebates and eligibility rules), and present findings ahead of the 2627 budget cycle for committee and board consideration.