Swarthmore Borough now has an emergency service tax to cover rising EMS costs after the closure of Crozer Health, writes Henry Savage and Denali Sagner for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The tax was implemented on Nov. 10 by the Swarthmore Borough Council as the borough faces budget shortfalls and rising service costs.
The tax will impose a millage rate of 0.45 mills, a cost of about $18 to $20 per month on an average assessed home in the borough.
An earned income tax had been proposed. It was withdrawn in October following a $638,000 contribution from Swarthmore College, but more tax revenue is needed to maintain emergency services, said borough council member Kristen Seymore.
“These are really difficult circumstances, and an important cost of the social safety net has been pushed unexpectedly onto local governments in our area,” said Scarlett McCahill, vice president of the borough council.
The borough’s finances are looking “starkly different,” with the closing of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital as emergency services costs go up while less tax revenue comes in, according to finance committee chair Cindy MacLeon.
The borough is also plagued by steep fire equipment repair costs and fewer people signing up as volunteer firefighters.
Read more about Swarthmore’s struggle with funding emergency services in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO.Today in November 2025.
