O’Neal, Anderson, Rader, Warner, Flood Unveil Common-Sense, Six-Bill Property Tax Reform Package

October 15, 2026

HARRISBURG – Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington) today announced he is spearheading a six-bill legislative package aimed at addressing Pennsylvania’s growing property tax burden, improving school district accountability and giving homeowners greater control over the taxes they pay. 

Four other colleagues from across the state have joined him in introducing these bills: Reps. Marc Anderson (R-York), Jack Rader (R-Monroe), Ryan Warner (R-Fayette) and Ann Flood (R-Northampton).

“For too many Pennsylvanians, the cost of owning a home has become increasingly unpredictable,” said Anderson. “Families are already struggling with the rising costs of groceries, utilities and everyday necessities. The last thing they need is another unexpected property tax increase making it harder to afford their homes.”

“Whether you’re a young family purchasing your first home or a retiree who has spent decades paying off a mortgage, you deserve to know that your home will remain affordable,” Warner said. “Property taxes shouldn’t be a moving target that homeowners have no control over.”

“Pennsylvanians shouldn’t have to worry that a single vote at a sparsely attended school board meeting could make their homes less affordable,” Rader said. “These proposals are about restoring predictability, demanding accountability and ensuring that taxpayers have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their household budgets.”

“Counties shouldn’t be able to kick the can down the road with years of zero property tax increases and then a sudden 43.5% increase like just proposed in Northampton County, or Allegheny County’s 36% increase in 2025, or Dauphin County’s 21.8% increase in 2025,” said Flood. “It’s bad government, and my legislation will bring some much-needed predictability and accountability to county budgeting while giving taxpayers the final say when officials want to raise taxes beyond a reasonable limit.”

The legislative package includes six bills designed to provide meaningful relief while strengthening taxpayer protections:

• Giving Taxpayers a Say in Property Tax Increases (Anderson): Requires voter approval before school districts can increase school property taxes over the Act 1 index. This bill would ensure that taxpayers have the final say over extreme increases to their tax bills.
• Establishing Annual Limits on County Property Tax Increases (Flood): Limits annual county property tax rate increases to the lesser of 4% or the applicable regional inflation rate, unless a larger increase is approved by voters through a referendum. The bill would encourage more consistent fiscal planning and protect taxpayers from sudden, substantial tax hikes.
• Requiring Voter Approval for Major School Construction Debt (Rader): Requires school districts to obtain voter approval before borrowing money for major construction and renovation projects, with limited exceptions for emergencies. The bill would provide greater transparency and accountability for long-term spending commitments that can drive property tax increases.
• Closing Loopholes in School District Borrowing (Flood): Prevents school districts from circumventing voter approval requirements through alternative borrowing arrangements. This companion measure for Rader’s bill would ensure taxpayers retain a meaningful voice in major financial decisions, regardless of how a school district structures its debt.
• Accountability in Education Spending (O’Neal): Establishes a formula to rank school districts by student performance on standardized tests against per-student spending. School districts ranking in the bottom half statewide would be required to obtain voter approval before increasing property tax rates. The bill would encourage responsible and targeted spending, while recognizing that taxpayers deserve real results for their investment.
• Providing Counties with a New Property Tax Relief Option (Warner): Allows counties, but only with voter approval, to enact an earned income tax of up to 1%, with all revenue dedicated exclusively to reducing county property taxes on eligible homesteads and farmsteads. This optional approach would give communities the opportunity to reduce the burden on homeowners, particularly seniors, farmers and others living on fixed incomes.

O’Neal acknowledged that the proposals are not intended to replace a broader discussion about Pennsylvania’s property tax system, but emphasized that meaningful and common-sense reforms like these should not be delayed while lawmakers debate greater-encompassing solutions.

“We’ve spent decades talking about property tax reform in Harrisburg, but homeowners are still waiting for relief,” O’Neal said. “We may not be able to solve every problem overnight, but we can take practical steps right now to make property taxes more predictable, protect homeowners from unnecessary increases and help Pennsylvanians afford to stay in the homes they’ve worked so hard to own.”



Representative Tim O’Neal
48th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tracy Polovick
717.260.6358
tpolovick@pahousegop.com