Swarthmore Borough will not implement a proposed earned income tax that would have filled a funding gap caused by the closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and the loss of Crozer’s ambulance service.
Swarthmore College has agreed to contribute $638,000 for rising emergency service costs, writes Denali Sagner for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Preliminary estimates show the borough’s public safety costs will increase 41 percent next year—from $3.1 million to $4.3 million.
The borough is also facing high fire equipment repair costs and a drop in volunteer firefighters.
“We’re happy we were able to work with the borough to avoid a new tax being imposed on College employees,” said Rob Goldberg, Swarthmore College vice president for finance and administration. “We also value our long-standing partnership with the borough and remain committed to supporting the community we share.”
Last month, the borough projected that a 1 percent earned income tax would generate at least $3.13 million in the second year of collection.
However, the proposed earned income tax got pushback from residents and some councilmembers.
Swarthmore officials cautioned that the borough is still facing rising costs for community services and that they would still consider a tax earmarked just for emergency services.
Read more about Swarthmore Borough’s funding issues in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Discussion of the earned income tax and the Swarthmore College contribution begins at 57:57
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO Today in October 2025.
