From left: Dauphin County commissioners George Hartwick, Justin Douglas and Mike Pries at Wednesday’s commissioners meeting.
Dauphin County ratified the approval of Park Harrisburg’s 2026 budget at a meeting Wednesday.
Without discussion, the Dauphin County commissioners unanimously voted to ratify Park Harrisburg’s 2026 operating budget alongside 11 other line items at its weekly meeting. The parking vendor has projected $25.6 million in revenue for 2026.
Park Harrisburg’s annual budget requires approval from its creditors, which includes Dauphin County. The county is a signed creditor on series B parking debt as well as a section of its series C parking debt.
The board also approved a month-to-month contract with the new owner of a credit card processing vendor used by the Dauphin County prothonotary’s office.
Commissioner George Hartwick said his top priority for the board this year is the effective management of Dauphin County’s budget.
In December, county commissioners passed, 2-1, a $221.9 million general fund budget, which included a property tax hike for the second year in a row. Commissioner Mike Pries voted “no” due to the 9.75% tax increase, which was below the 15% hike initially included in the county’s proposed budget.
The $221.9 million budget marked a $172,671 decrease from 2025’s budget of $222 million.
Hartwick said Wednesday that the budget would be tightly monitored.
“Every dollar will be justified, every expense will be scrutinized, and every efficiency will be pursued before asking taxpayers for a single additional dollar,” he said.
He added that the goal was to protect Dauphin County residents from a future tax increase.
“Protecting residents from a future tax increase is not optional. It is our responsibility and this budget and its management will reflect that in this upcoming year,” he said.
At the meeting, commissioners also noted that Dauphin County had not received the level of funding expected through an Emergency Solutions Grant for homelessness services. The grant provides federal money to the county for such services through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
Commission chairman Justin Douglas called the ESG grant funding “critical to our region.”
“I’m looking forward to continuing to champion the reinstitution of that grant because we certainly need that,” Douglas added.
Hartwick said that state legislators have been responsive to commissioners’ requests to appeal the amount given and gain access to more funds.
Hartwick further clarified that nowhere in the county code does it say the county is responsible for providing homeless services.
“But because the issues exist and because we want to treat everybody in this community in a way that provides dignity and access to a level of service, the county tends to be the place where we are, unfortunately, finding the majority of the solutions,” he said.
Chief Clerk Eric Hagarty indicated that Dauphin County commissioners will attend a retreat Thursday to plan for the year.
“We’ll collectively engage in a SWOT analysis, identify major ongoing or upcoming projects and map out our work for 2026 in an effort to try to become more proactive in our work, instead of being reactive,” he said.
To learn more about the Dauphin County Commissioners visit this website.
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