York County posts preliminary 2026 budget, proposes 1 mill real estate tax increase

The York County Board of Commissioners posted a preliminary 2026 budget on Nov. 19, 2025 for the required public review period and said the draft includes a 1 mill real estate tax increase to address rising mandated costs.

The chair told attendees the law requires the proposed budget to be available for at least 20 days before the board takes final action and said county revenues are not keeping pace with mandated costs of county programs. "So because of this, the proposed budget does include a 1 mil real estate tax increase," the chair said. The chair also said the county cut expenses by $4,000,000 last year after three years with no tax increases.

The transcript records the posting and the chair’s explanation but does not include a final vote on the budget; it records only the board’s action to post the proposed budget for public inspection. The meeting materials and the county’s financial staff should have the full proposed budget and the detailed line-by-line changes; the transcript itself does not include program-level allocations or projected revenue estimates beyond the tax-rate statement.

The posting begins the statutory public-review window; the board must take additional actions before adopting a final 2026 budget. Members of the public who wish to comment on the draft are expected to follow the county’s published process for budget hearings and written comments.