(WHTM) — Dauphin County residents will pay higher taxes for the second time in two years.
Commissioners approved the county’s 2026 budget Wednesday night along party lines. It includes a .817 mils property tax increase, a 9.75% change. Last year’s budget came with a 21.8% tax hike.
Commissioners voted 2-1 to pass the budget. Democrats Justin Douglas and George Hartwick voted yes, while Mike Pries, the sole Republican, rejected the increase.
Raising taxes was once a rarity in the cash strapped county. Until the 2025 budget, commissioners hadn’t done such a thing in 19 years. Hartwick at the time said the double-digit increase was needed because the county faced a $54 million budget gap without recurring revenue…