Lancaster council adopts $282 million budget, sets funds for police, parks, aquatic center
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Summary
Lancaster City Council adopted a $282 million citywide budget including a $139 million general fund and a $48 million reserve, funding police build-out, parks projects, a $1 million start for an aquatic center and $1.52 million for a midtown education center.
Lancaster City Council on June 10 adopted a proposed fiscal-year budget that city staff said totals roughly $282 million across all funds, including a $139 million general fund and a $48 million reserve.
City staff said the adopted plan directs Measure YM and other new revenues toward police staffing and technology, park and interchange improvements, and a new aquatic center and midtown education center.
The budget workshop presentation laid out priorities staff said were set by the council and executive team: public safety, community building and upward mobility. The council-approved budget includes an initial $1,000,000 allocation for conceptual design and early work on a new aquatic center, $1,520,000 to ready the acquired Midtown Educational Center for programming, and continued funding for interchange projects including Avenue J and Avenue K work. Staff said the budget also includes additional in-house maintenance and code-enforcement positions and funding for ongoing illegal dumping and graffiti cleanup efforts.
City finance staff described the city's reserves as $48 million and noted the reserve policy ties the target to revenue; passage of Measure YM increased the revenue base and therefore the reserve requirement. The presentation noted about $21 million in Measure YM revenue and listed Measure YM priority buckets: Lancaster Police Department support, beautification/landscape maintenance, childcare and youth development, and economic reinvestment.
Council and members of the public spoke in support of youth and parks investments; one public commenter representing local schools praised the allocation to public safety and youth programs as a reuse of resident sales-tax support. Council directed staff to return for final adoption on June 24 and to provide implementation sequencing and timelines; staff said the fiscal year begins July 1.
The measure was approved by the council at the meeting following the public hearing and workshop presentation.
