Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace announced during a Nov. 22 City Council Meeting that she is proposing an 8% property tax hike in her 2023 budget for the city.
“After four years of not raising taxes – the longest duration with no tax increase since at least 2006 – I am bringing a budget with a proposed tax increase of 8%,” Sorace said at the meeting.
Sorace said raising the property tax rate was the only available way to increase revenue for the city, noting “all other methods of taxation are frozen in time, and we are powerless to implement any new taxes.” She said unless the General Assembly changes the tax system, raising property tax is the only choice she has working with a system “established in 1965.”
The property tax rate in the city was last increased in 2019, Sorace said.
Property taxes constitute the city’s largest source of revenue, and yet are unable to cover the cost for public safety (police and fire), the largest expenditure for the city.
“Public safety expenses have outstripped property tax revenues since at least the 1990s,” Sorace said.
City households also face increases in sewer, water, and waste fees in the proposed budget.
The budget will be voted on at a later date.
While people suffer under government created inflation resulting in higher prices for basic goods like food and fuel, the representatives of Lancaster who are elected to serve the people and protect their property decide to steal more money from the citizens. When will people understand that government has no right to steal from them in the same way that a robber on the street has no right to steal?
Listening to President Biden sending Ukranine 42 billion and families in America Lancaster county hurting from low money or none. Where is this money going What will the average folks in Lancaster county see from this price hike ? What about all that money from the covid fund that Govenor Wolff was going to distribute Did Lancaster county receive any of that money ? I feel the Mayor of Lancaster has to explain this hardship of a tax hike. A lot of us are elderly and this is going to hurt.
The article from the Lancaster Patriot indicates this proposal is only for the City of Lancaster, not for the County of Lancaster. It is an important distinction. One way to decrease public safety is to continue to rely on a static tax revenue. Do the residents of the City want to experience a decrease in police presence? Is there a desire in the City for a decrease in Fire Protection? These a basic public safety budget items that will be negatively affected in the future if property taxes remain fixed at the current 2019 level. This also effects wintertime snow clearing.