ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Lehigh and Northampton counties announced Friday that they will be joining together to pursue a comprehensive independent review of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
In a joint statement, the counties said the move comes as challenging county budgets require them to “strengthen review of regional organizations and other outside entities receiving significant county taxpayer support.”
The bi-county examination will evaluate the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s funding structure, expenditures, staffing, employee retention, operational efficiency, governance and overall value delivered to Lehigh Valley taxpayers and municipalities, the announcement read.
The LVPC was formed by Lehigh and Northampton counties 65 years ago to create a comprehensive plan to guide orderly growth in the region.
Today, the LVPC has a professional staff and nearly 40 commissioners appointed from Northampton and Lehigh counties. The staff reviews zoning changes and significant projects proposed in the two counties. The appointed commissioners then review and sometimes alter the recommendations, which are ultimately sent to municipalities and builders to guide the development process and/or zoning.
The LVPC also acts as a database for the Lehigh Valley, compiling statistics about housing, traffic and development.
The bi-county announcement on Friday stated that the LVPC’s budgetary request of Lehigh County increased by almost 100% in the last two years. Its funding request grew from $605,000 in 2024 to nearly $1.2 million in 2027, with its 2027 request to Northampton County nearing $1.5 million, the statement said.
The counties said the review of the regional organization is necessary amid local budgetary challenges “that require rigorous evaluation of the utilization of every taxpayer dollar to determine their efficiency, effectiveness and return on investment.”
Earlier this month, Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski said a tax hike is likely in 2027 but has not indicated how much the numbers will climb. Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel said property owners in his jurisdiction could see an 18% tax increase next year.
Northampton County property owners will likely face a tax increase in 2027, says County Executive Tara Zrinski.
“As an elected official, I am beholden to the taxpayers and, in a year when a tax increase is the inevitable outcome of deferred funding of employees, infrastructure and programs, we have to scrutinize where funds are being allocated,” Zrinski said. “The LVPC’s budget request has increased year after year and we are just asking for transparency as to why the two County contributions need to exceed $1 million each.”
“It is difficult to justify these amounts without an independent external review to show why state and federal funding as well as fees require the Counties to keep being tapped,” she added.
Siegel echoed Zrinski’s sentiment.
“Regional planning and strategic development of county land is vital to the future of the Lehigh Valley’s quality of life and livability, but when organizations request millions from county taxpayers, we owe them complete transparency and accurate answers about scope and scale of our investment,” Siegel said. “Now is the time to ask hard questions about the appropriate level of support for LVPC and whether potential savings could be better deployed elsewhere to better serve the needs of county residents.”
Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong delivered his proposed 2025 budget Thursday at the Lehigh County Government Center.
The review will examine several core operational and financial areas of the LVPC from 2022 until the present: financial management and sustainability, organizational and operational efficiency, workforce stability and retention, service delivery impact and regional support, and governance and intergovernmental relations.
In their announcement, Lehigh and Northampton counties recognized the accomplishments of the LVPC and the state and national recognition the regional planning organization has received. It emphasized that the purpose of the review is “not to diminish that record or the organization’s important regional role, but to ensure that its funding structure and operations remain sustainable, transparent and accountable to taxpayers.”
“The goal here is accountability, not accusation,” Zrinski said. “Neither County is approaching this with a predetermined outcome. If the review demonstrates that additional investment yields measurable public benefit, that is critical data. If it highlights opportunities to streamline operations, cut costs, or adjust the funding model, that is equally vital. We intend to follow the facts.”
To ensure objectivity in the review of the LVPC, the counties said they are evaluating the joint engagement of an independent organizational and financial team to conduct the analysis, perform benchmarking against peer planning bodies and execute confidential employee surveys.
The counties said they expect to finalize the formal scope of work in the coming months.