It’s good news that new home construction in 2023 added $4.66 million to Warren County’s tax base.

The news could be even better if we knew whether or not there was more such construction happening in areas not covered by the county’s zoning ordinance.

County Planning Commission members were told about the 24 new home permits the county knows about that added a reported value of $4.66 million in new construction. The problem is the county’s zoning ordinance doesn’t cover all townships and boroughs in Warren County – though it does cover most of the townships with the most population.

Still, it would be helpful to be able to track new construction and demolitions across the county. And it’s not as if sending that information to county officials is that difficult anymore. Scanning the permits and emailing them to the county takes no more than 10 minutes.

It’s telling that county officials are going to undertake a countywide housing study this year. That study will be much harder to complete if it remains difficult to get even simple information like new housing permits from many of the smaller townships and boroughs in Warren County. Getting that information is important as county officials try to figure out the types of housing that need to be built in Warren County to serve a changing population.

Having up-to-date information on new construction also affects school and county taxes. If new construction is coming online but isn’t reported, everyone else is paying more than their fair share for the services the government provides.

It’s time to get with the 21st century and collect this basic data.