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York County approves budget first reading after heated debate over recreation tax and parks funding
Summary
Council approved first reading of the FY 2026 operating budget 5–2 after extensive debate about parks funding, including whether to retain a long-standing unincorporated-area recreation tax and how to allocate hospitality (H) tax and countywide park millage.
York County Council approved first reading of the county’s fiscal 2026 operating budget on May 5 after several hours of debate that focused on parks funding, a long-running reconciliation over the York County recreation tax district and how the county should allocate hospitality and millage funds for parks and recreation.
What passed: The council voted 5–2 to approve first reading of the budget, sending it forward for a public hearing on May 13 and second reading on May 19.
Key numbers and items in the proposed budget - Total budget (first reading): approximately $483 million, with a general fund of about $173.4 million. The recommended budget included a proposed 3.5% merit-based raise for employees and 34.63 full-time equivalent positions across county departments, 18.63 of them in the general fund. - Capital program: approximately $584 million in combined capital requests (14/20 and related funds). - Manager’s note: the budget uses a preliminary…
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