York County manager presents $173.4 million FY26 recommended general fund; readings to begin May 5

York County Manager (Mr.) Edwards on April 21 presented his recommended fiscal year 2026 budget to the York County Council, describing the proposal as aligned with the counciladopted three-year strategic plan and noting a general fund recommendation of $173,400,000.

"As I reflect on my year here at York County, I'm full of gratitude," Edwards told the council, and he said the recommended budget represents "our commitment to effective and responsive services for our residents." Edwards told council members a printed budget book of more than 200 pages had been distributed in advance of the reading and that three readings of the budget will begin May 5.

Edwards said the recommended general fund represents roughly an 8% year-over-year increase and that countywide assessed value is increasing about 5% while the unincorporated area is increasing about 6%. He said the recommendation includes 34.6 full-time equivalent positions proposed for FY26, and that 14 of those FTEs are allocated for the new parks and utilities departments. The manager said the budget ties departmental requests to the strategic plan and highlighted planned investments in personnel, infrastructure and capital projects.

Edwards credited Budget Director Trish Startup and the countys finance and departmental teams for preparing the book and asked council members to provide direction and questions early in the readings. He said staff will hold three readings and multiple workshops over the next weeks to refine the plan before final adoption.

Why this matters: the recommended budget funds county operations and capital projects and sets staffing levels for new and existing departments. Council members will review the budget in readings and workshops before votes on final adoption.