York County Council abolishes recreation tax district, adopts FY26 budget with stipend plan for municipal recreation

York County Council voted 5–2 on June 2 to abolish the York County Recreation Tax District and approved the countyfiscal year 2026 operating budget, a package that includes a proposed stipend program intended to replace some of the tax districtfunding to municipalities that run youth recreation programs.

The councilaction followed a public hearing and an extended staff presentation. Tom Couch, assistant county manager, summarized the staffproposal as creating a data-driven, per-participant stipend to reimburse municipalities for unincorporated York County residents who register for municipal youth recreation programs, paired with a modest capital grants program. Couch said the capital program would start at $25,000 annually for small municipalities that have no active recreation programs. County Manager Josh (County Manager) told council the stipends that staff has been discussing would likely fall in the $75-to-$100 range, depending on final decisions, and that staff would work with municipalities to verify registrant data before payments were made.

Why it matters: the recreation tax district has charged only unincorporated property owners for nearly two decades to help fund municipal active-recreation programs. Abolishing the special tax district ends that dedicated millage and replaces it with a model in which the county sends money to municipalities based on counts of county residents participating in municipal programming. The change could shift how municipal programs are funded and how county parks are supported.

Public comments were sharply divided. Some residents urged delay and called for a joint countymunicipal task force and more time to negotiate. Jim Bradford, who asked the council to "continue the existence of this tax district for another year," said the county should use a one-year "grace period" to form a joint county-municipal working group and audit program data before dissolving the district. William Perkins, a City of York resident, asked council to preserve current funding levels for non-youth facilities such as walking and bike trails, warning that smaller municipalities could lose maintenance funds used for those assets. John Gossett, addressing council in support of the change, said the previous distribution process had been "haphazard" and called for data-based allocations.

Staff cautioned that implementing the stipend approach raised several technical issues: how to verify registrants are York County residents, how to treat participants from outside the county who use municipal facilities, and how third-party leagues and program vendors factor into stipend calculations. Couch and the county manager said staff would request registrant address data from municipalities and could execute non-disclosure agreements for that transfer; municipalities told staff some of the necessary participant data are already available.

Council debate reflected divided views. Council members who opposed immediate abolition urged delay and called for a formal task force and more municipal negotiation. Supporters said years of ad-hoc allocations had failed and that the county should move to a transparent, data-driven model even if the plan required adjustments after the first year. Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized that the stipend would be paid to municipalities to offset costs, not distributed as cash directly to families.

Outcome and next steps: Council approved the ordinance to abolish the York County Recreation Tax District on third reading by a 5–2 vote. Council also approved the FY26 operating and capital budgets, which incorporate the staffframework for the stipend and a modest capital grant program, by a 5–2 vote. Staff said they will continue the municipal discussions, verify registrant data, and return with mechanics for stipend payments prior to implementation. Council asked staff for follow-up reports and indicated willingness to refine stipend levels after the first year of implementation.

Votes at a glance: The ordinance to abolish the York County Recreation Tax District — approved, 5–2. FY26 budget (third reading) — approved, 5–2. Council directed staff to proceed with municipal data verification and to return with implementation details for the stipend and capital grant program.

Ending: Council and staff framed the change as an attempt to move from the previous discretionary funding model toward a reproducible, evidence-based reimbursement structure for municipal recreation. Supporters called it overdue reform; critics urged a slower transition and more municipal negotiation before the county dissolves the existing tax district.