Montgomery County Community College President Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez congratulates the 17 Gateway to College Program graduates during a ceremony at the Blue Bell Campus May 21. (Photo by Linda Johnson)
Montgomery County property owners will pay more in 2026 to support county government and the Montgomery County Community College.
Property taxes will go up by about 4 percent under a budget approved by the county commissioners, along with an increase in a separate tax to support the community college with campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown.
The budget reflects a 5.462 Real Estate Tax (RET) millage rate, adding approximately $12 million in revenue to the General Fund, or approximately $36 per County household per year, according to county officials.
The RET for Montgomery County Community College has remained unchanged for eight years, despite rising tuition costs. The adjustment from .39 mills to .49 mills equates to a $17 annual increase for the average homeowner, the county says.
The higher educational institution’s designated millage rate was created back in 2017, according to Montgomery County Chief Operating Officer Dean Dortone, who noted the millage rate hadn’t been changed for several years.
Dortone added the increase will generate an additional $6.2 million of “new operating revenue” and bring a more equitable balance to the community college’s funding services, which include local, state and tuition and fees.
In 2025, tuition and fees accounted for 56 percent of revenue sources, state funds totaled around 24 percent, while local funds contributed 24 percent. Dortone anticipated “the county’s contribution will match state funding levels in 2026” with the millage rate change.
Montgomery County Community College President Victoria Bastecki-Perez expressed her “gratitude and consideration of the continued partnership and support of the Montgomery County Commissioners as well as residents” during a public hearing earlier this month, as education officials “continue to enhance our mission to ensure every county resident who dares to dream in higher education has equal access and equal opportunity for all.”
Bastecki-Perez noted tuition rates were previously frozen from 2017 to 2022.
“This increase would allow, and I would commit to you today that we would freeze tuition for three years to help keep student debt to a minimum,” Bastecki-Perez said during the Dec. 4 budget public hearing.
In 2024, there were 15,702 students enrolled across associate degree, certificates, dual enrollment, and non-degree programs, according to a fiscal year 2024 fact book. The community college has more than 100 different programs available.
Sloane Harker, a 24-year-old Harleysville resident and a second-year student, underscored the school’s impact and stressed that the “professors have a personal stake in our success.”
“It’s not a place where you’re going to go, sit through a lecture, do some homework, go home, and that’s it,” Harker said. “This is a place where we’re growing ourselves pre-graduation, and getting ourselves ready for the workforce, and it’s been a really great asset for myself and so many other students.”
Harker also touted the available resources for students in the academic, financial and wellness sectors throughout the community college.
“I think Montgomery County Community College is a great asset to this county, to this community, and it really exemplifies the professionalism within our community and in our county,” Harker said.
The commissioners’ vote to approve the $632.7 million county operating budget and a $255.75 million capital fund was 3-0 on Dec. 18.
