Spring Grove wrestling honors memory of Det. Sgt. Cody Becker, first responders and military during season opener
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Spring Garden Township officials have proposed a 0.5-mill fire tax increase for the 2026 budget.The proposed hike would add $75 annually to the tax bill for a property assessed at $150,000.Despite merging police departments, police costs are temporarily higher due to a $580,000 increase in pension contributions.
Spring Garden Township property owners could see a slight bump in their taxes next year since officials proposed the township’s 2026 budget with a 0.5-mill hike on its fire tax.
The proposed increase equates to an extra 50 cents in taxes for every $1,000 of the property’s assessed value. It would hike a property assessed at $150,000 by $75 for the year on the township portion of a tax bill.
A copy of the township’s proposed $13.2 million spending plan can be viewed at the township office at 340 Tri Hill Road, York. Officials sent The York Dispatch a copy of the draft budget, but did not post it online before final adoption.
The added revenue for fire services is expected to cover nearly a quarter of anticipated operating fire expenses, explained Luther Wike Jr., Spring Garden Township manager. The township will pay $2.5 million for
“Historically, the township’s fire tax rate has significantly fell short of its fire expenses and general taxes have been used to make up the difference,” Wike told The York Dispatch.
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York Area United Fire and Rescue serves Spring Garden Township, a first-class township within the York Suburban School District. The township will pay $2.5 million to the department in 2026, around $106,000 more than this year.
While the township has touted potential savings by merging its police department with York County Regional’s department, the line item for police next year comes in around $155,000 more than in 2025, largely due to more than $580,000 in increased pension contributions.
The police pension program last year cost the township nearly $444,000, but it will be a little more than $1 million for 2026.
“This additional amount in the 2026 budget is specifically for the liabilities transferred from the Spring Garden Uniform Pension Plan to the York County Regional Uniform Pension Plan,” Wike said.
At nearly $3.8 million, Spring Garden’s 2026 police contract is set to be $554,000 lower than it was this year, when not including pension contributions.
And after 2026, there will be none, Wike said. “By 2027, the Spring Garden Uniform Pension will be fully merged with the York County Regional Uniform Pension, and the township will no longer have this expense.”
Spring Garden Township became the 10th municipality to contract with York County Regional, with patrols officially beginning in June after nearly two years of multi-municipal discussions and reviews.
The new department gained 17 officers, bringing its complement to 82.
Spring Garden joins York, Windsor and East Manchester townships as the department’s main members. They fund the officers’ pensions while the department’s other contracted municipalities — the boroughs of Dallastown, Yoe, Jacobus, Spring Grove, Manchester and Mount Wolf — do not.
With the township’s general property tax rate set to stay put at 4.29 mills, the proposed fire tax hike would bring the township’s entire property tax rate to 4.87 mills, which is $4.87 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
All told, a Spring Garden property owner whose home is assessed at $150,000 would see the municipal portion of their tax bill cost around $730 for the year.
Township commissioners plan to vote on adopting the township’s final budget Wednesday, Dec. 10, at their 6:30 p.m. meeting in the township building at 340 Tri Hill Road, York.
—Reach Mark Walters at mwalters@yorkdispatch.com.
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