Town Hall · Lancaster

Lancaster, PA town hall & government

Lancaster spent $196.7 million in the year to December 31, 2024, about $3,424 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Lancaster's government.

Local leadership

Who runs Lancaster

Danene SoraceMayorSince 2018 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Meetings

Coming up at Lancaster's town hall

  • Sep 30Wed · 6:00 pm
    GeneralCity Council Special MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N. Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 5Mon · 6:00 pm
    CommitteeCity Council CommitteeCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 13Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council First Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 27Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council Second Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Nov 2Mon · 6:00 pm
    CommitteeCity Council CommitteeCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Nov 10Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council First Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗

Recent meetings

  • Sep 22Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council Second Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 14Mon · 6:00 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council Special Meeting - September 14, 2026City Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N. Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 8Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council First Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 1Tue · 6:00 pm
    CommitteeCity Council CommitteeCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Aug 25Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council Second Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Aug 11Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council First Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Aug 3Mon · 6:00 pm
    CommitteeCity Council CommitteeCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗
  • Jul 28Tue · 6:30 pm
    Regular MeetingCity Council Second Regular MeetingCity Hall - Nelson M. Polite, Sr. Council Chambers, 120 N Duke St. Meeting page ↗

Official listings from Lancaster's agenda portal ↗, checked daily. Times are local. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check the portal before you go.

Town budget

Where Lancaster's money goes

Spent
$196.7 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2024
Per resident
$3,424
typical Pennsylvania cities: $1,637
Long-term debt
$392.7 million
$6,835 per resident
Sewer & trash
$28.7 million15%
Water & other utilities
$27.3 million14%
Police
$26.3 million13%
Interest on debt
$15.1 million8%
Roads & transportation
$15.1 million8%
Administration & buildings
$14.2 million7%
Housing & development
$12.1 million6%
Fire
$11.2 million6%
Parks & libraries
$6.6 million3%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$2.3 million1%
Health & welfare
$391,000<1%
Other
$37.5 million19%

Where the money comes from

  • Fees & charges 28%
  • Utility sales 19%
  • Property taxes 18%
  • From the state 12%
  • From the federal government 9%
  • Interest, fines & other 6%
  • Income taxes 5%
  • Other taxes & licenses 3%
  • From other local governments 1%
Town workforce

Who works for Lancaster

Full-time staff
497
14 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$78,200
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
117
and 75 full-time firefighters
Police
152 full-time13 part
Fire
78 full-time
Water & other utilities
72 full-time
Sewer & trash
67 full-time
Administration & buildings
42 full-time
Housing & development
23 full-time1 part
Roads & transportation
22 full-time
Parks & libraries
12 full-time
Health & welfare
6 full-time
Other
23 full-time

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2023. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Lancaster School District

Lancaster's K–12 school district, shared with Lancaster. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$24,706
Pennsylvania: $21,758
Students
10,015
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$225.2 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Pennsylvania districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal

  • Local 36%
  • State 48%
  • Federal 16%

Of the $24,706 per pupil, $15,059 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Also serving Lancaster: Lampeter-Strasburg School District ($18,089 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Lancaster pay

Typical tax bill
$3,404
a year · Pennsylvania typical $3,311
Effective rate
1.55%
of home value · Pennsylvania 1.30%
Typical home value
$219,500
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Lancaster's government

🏛️ Official websitecityoflancasterpa.com ↗

Town hall & decisions in Lancaster →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Lancaster

Lancaster is represented in Congress by Senators John Fetterman and David McCormick and Representative Lloyd Smucker. Josh Shapiro is governor.

All of Lancaster's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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