Lebanon City unveils $18.10M 2026 budget with one firefighter added, ARPA funds to finish projects
November 10, 2025 | Lebanon City, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
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Lebanon City’s mayor presented a $18,099,057 proposed budget for 2026 at a second public hearing, highlighting an addition of one career ‘‘floater’’ firefighter, conversion of a part-time housing inspector to full time, targeted park projects including a splash pad at Southwest Park, and continued use of ARPA and grant funding to finish multi-year quality-of-life projects. The mayor said the plan would be balanced using approximately $2,863,704 in excess carryover and that no property-tax increase is proposed.
The mayor told the council the proposed Bureau of Fire budget totals $3,878,921, a roughly $254,931 increase from 2025, reflecting additions to staffing, benefits and operating costs. ‘‘We are going to increase their stipend due to the number of hours they commit,’’ the mayor said of two volunteer assistant chiefs, noting the stipend change represents about an extra $1,000 in the 2026 budget. The mayor also proposed adding ‘‘an additional career firefighter, as a floater to assist with shift coverage’’ to reduce overtime and improve shift staffing.
On equipment and maintenance, the mayor said seven sets of turnout gear will reach their 10-year replacement cycle in 2026 and that replacement costs exceed $40,000; the budget increases that line by about $23,500, an increase of roughly 81 percent for that item. Separately, the mayor said the city will not replace any major fire vehicles in 2026.
The mayor also announced an expected increase in the public fire hydrant fee of $8,579 (a 5.94% rise) and said the city has 607 public fire hydrants. The mayor attributed the fee change to the water authority’s decision to end a prior exchange-of-services arrangement that had covered certain costs, adding that the authority’s shift increased the general-fund obligation in 2025 and is projected to add to 2026 costs.
Parks and public properties were another focus: the budget increases parks and playgrounds spending to $398,448, a $58,689 (17.27%) rise driven by splash-pad operating costs and a sidewalk replacement project at 9th and Walton. The mayor said the sidewalk work will reuse interlocking bricks from the Market Square ‘‘bridal’’ project and that the splash pad is expected to open next year, with line items added for chemicals, water and electricity.
Public Works overall shows minor net changes: line painting and traffic-signal upgrades purchased in prior years reduce operating-supply needs, while contracted services for line painting and additional maintenance increase. Highway maintenance will rise by about $18,502 (6.58%) to cover vehicle repairs, a tamper purchase, and repair of road depressions (described as local sinkhole-like depressions). Street-cleaning expenses edged up because of requirements tied to the city’s MS4/NPDES permit and state DEP guidance requiring proper sweeper-debris disposal.
On staffing and benefits, the mayor said employee salaries and benefits will account for about 81.21% of total expenditures in 2026, up roughly one percentage point due to the new firefighter and the part-time-to-full-time conversion. ‘‘That was over $16,000,000 of inflow into the city of Lebanon,’’ the mayor said of ARPA funds, adding that ‘‘you will never get that again.’’ The mayor estimated about $2.7 million of ARPA funds remain available and said ‘‘everything’s committed’’ and ‘‘allocated’’ under federal requirements, with a federal deadline at the end of next year for ARPA obligations.
Councilmember (S1) asked whether the city could continue to avoid raising taxes. The mayor replied that rising earned-income-tax revenue helps and that ARPA and grant money enabled many one-time capital projects, but repeatedly cautioned that ARPA was a one-time inflow. The mayor said the administration will continue pursuing grants to avoid relying solely on ARPA.
No votes were recorded at the hearing. Councilmember (S2) announced a special council meeting Thursday at 04:45 to introduce the budget. The hearing closed after a brief public comment period in which a member of the public noted ongoing monitoring of court procedural issues.
Next steps: the City will formally introduce the 2026 budget at the scheduled special meeting and continue administrative work to implement ARPA-funded projects within federal timelines.
The mayor told the council the proposed Bureau of Fire budget totals $3,878,921, a roughly $254,931 increase from 2025, reflecting additions to staffing, benefits and operating costs. ‘‘We are going to increase their stipend due to the number of hours they commit,’’ the mayor said of two volunteer assistant chiefs, noting the stipend change represents about an extra $1,000 in the 2026 budget. The mayor also proposed adding ‘‘an additional career firefighter, as a floater to assist with shift coverage’’ to reduce overtime and improve shift staffing.
On equipment and maintenance, the mayor said seven sets of turnout gear will reach their 10-year replacement cycle in 2026 and that replacement costs exceed $40,000; the budget increases that line by about $23,500, an increase of roughly 81 percent for that item. Separately, the mayor said the city will not replace any major fire vehicles in 2026.
The mayor also announced an expected increase in the public fire hydrant fee of $8,579 (a 5.94% rise) and said the city has 607 public fire hydrants. The mayor attributed the fee change to the water authority’s decision to end a prior exchange-of-services arrangement that had covered certain costs, adding that the authority’s shift increased the general-fund obligation in 2025 and is projected to add to 2026 costs.
Parks and public properties were another focus: the budget increases parks and playgrounds spending to $398,448, a $58,689 (17.27%) rise driven by splash-pad operating costs and a sidewalk replacement project at 9th and Walton. The mayor said the sidewalk work will reuse interlocking bricks from the Market Square ‘‘bridal’’ project and that the splash pad is expected to open next year, with line items added for chemicals, water and electricity.
Public Works overall shows minor net changes: line painting and traffic-signal upgrades purchased in prior years reduce operating-supply needs, while contracted services for line painting and additional maintenance increase. Highway maintenance will rise by about $18,502 (6.58%) to cover vehicle repairs, a tamper purchase, and repair of road depressions (described as local sinkhole-like depressions). Street-cleaning expenses edged up because of requirements tied to the city’s MS4/NPDES permit and state DEP guidance requiring proper sweeper-debris disposal.
On staffing and benefits, the mayor said employee salaries and benefits will account for about 81.21% of total expenditures in 2026, up roughly one percentage point due to the new firefighter and the part-time-to-full-time conversion. ‘‘That was over $16,000,000 of inflow into the city of Lebanon,’’ the mayor said of ARPA funds, adding that ‘‘you will never get that again.’’ The mayor estimated about $2.7 million of ARPA funds remain available and said ‘‘everything’s committed’’ and ‘‘allocated’’ under federal requirements, with a federal deadline at the end of next year for ARPA obligations.
Councilmember (S1) asked whether the city could continue to avoid raising taxes. The mayor replied that rising earned-income-tax revenue helps and that ARPA and grant money enabled many one-time capital projects, but repeatedly cautioned that ARPA was a one-time inflow. The mayor said the administration will continue pursuing grants to avoid relying solely on ARPA.
No votes were recorded at the hearing. Councilmember (S2) announced a special council meeting Thursday at 04:45 to introduce the budget. The hearing closed after a brief public comment period in which a member of the public noted ongoing monitoring of court procedural issues.
Next steps: the City will formally introduce the 2026 budget at the scheduled special meeting and continue administrative work to implement ARPA-funded projects within federal timelines.
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