Lancaster County administrator presents FY26 recommended budget emphasizing staff pay, public safety and conservative revenue outlook

County Administrator Dennis Marston presented Lancaster County’s recommended fiscal 2026 budget to the Lancaster County Council on the county administrator’s recommended budget during a council meeting, outlining pay increases for employees, investments in public safety and a cautious approach to revenue forecasting.

The recommendation includes a 5% across‑the‑board salary increase for full‑ and part‑time employees, raising the county minimum pay to $15 an hour and funding service investments intended to support expanding public safety workloads, county information technology and enterprise resource planning (ERP) work, Marston said. “I am pleased to start the presentation of the FY26 county administrator's recommended budget,” Marston said.

County Chief Financial Officer Sabrina Harris framed the request against rapid population and development growth: “Our county continues to experience growth, looking at our population increasing by 3.1% in just 2024 alone. Over the past 5 years, the county has grown by 16.4%,” Harris said, and she warned that the growth places pressure on infrastructure, public safety and other county services.

Budget Director Jamie Provoznak provided the revenue overview and described the administration’s conservative forecasting approach. As of April 15, 2025, the county had collected $36,000,000 in ad valorem (real property) taxes, and the recommended FY26 general fund total was presented at about $61.2 million. Provoznak said the administration estimates roughly $1,000,039 of…