Lancaster County council finalizes no-millage first-reading budget with half-year staffing, adds 30 public-safety cameras

Lancaster County Council directed staff to present a balanced budget for first reading May 27 that avoids a millage increase while adding a set of staffing and public-safety items, funding some at half-year levels and using fund balance for one-time purchases.

The action came after Miss Harris, a county staff member, reviewed revenue projections and proposed adjustments, saying the county’s new-revenue projection is about $8 million and that staff had “some what we call wiggle room within our revenue forecast” to incorporate council requests. Councilors agreed to include half-year funding for additional emergency medical services (EMS) staffing, convert an accreditation position into an equipment manager role, add convenience-site technicians at reduced-year timing and program 30 additional Flock-brand cameras funded from fund balance.

Why it matters: the package moves public-safety and service expansions forward while keeping county taxpayers from seeing a millage increase on the preliminary first-reading ordinance. It also shifts several recurring hires to partial-year…