Everyone benefits from Home Rule!

Home Rule will help secure Lancaster City’s future.

Relief from Growing Housing Costs

Homeowners

Home Rule will positively impact homeowners by reducing the reliance on ever-increasing property taxes to fund essential city services. Instead, Home Rule allows Lancaster to diversify its revenue sources, including a modest adjustment to the Earned Income Tax, which is tied to wages rather than property value. This shift ensures that homeowners are not disproportionately burdened by rising housing costs and taxes, helping to maintain affordability and long-term financial stability while still supporting vital services like public safety, infrastructure, and parks.

Renters

For renters, Home Rule offers relief from rising housing costs driven by increasing property taxes. As property taxes go up, landlords often raise rents to cover the added expense, putting more pressure on tenants. Home Rule shifts some of the tax burden to earned income taxes, which are based on what people earn rather than the value of the property they live in. This approach helps stabilize rent prices, making housing more affordable for renters while still ensuring that the city has the funds it needs to provide essential services like public safety and infrastructure.

A Better Way to Fund Essential Services

Wage Earners

For wage earners, using the Earned Income Tax (EIT) to fund city services offers a more fair approach. Since the EIT is tied to how much you earn, it ensures that everyone contributes according to their financial means. This shifts the burden away from property taxes, which disproportionately impact homeowners and renters regardless of their income. For working adults, the EIT allows the city to raise necessary funds without putting extra strain on housing costs, making it a more sustainable way to support essential services like public safety and streets.

Retirees

For retirees, Home Rule can provide financial relief by reducing reliance on property taxes. Since retirees often live on fixed incomes, rising property taxes can make it harder to stay in their homes. The Earned Income Tax only applies to earned wages, not retirement income like Social Security or pensions, meaning retirees won’t see an increase in their tax burden. By shifting the focus away from property taxes, Home Rule protects retirees from rising costs while still ensuring the city can fund vital services for the community.

A More Responsive and Transparent City Government

New Taxpayer Protections

The Home Rule Charter includes important new safeguards to prevent unnecessary tax increases. The Home Rule Charter puts a 6% cap on the annual growth of total tax revenue the City of Lancaster collects. This means the total amount of money the City can collect from taxes can not grow more than 6% year over year. In some special circumstances, such as an emergency situation, a supermajority (at least 5 of 7 members) of Council can vote to grant special approval for an increase over 6%. However, the following year’s revenue growth will be capped at the 6% rate.

Modernizing City Government

Home Rule offers Lancaster a chance to modernize city government, bringing it in line with the needs of today and tomorrow. We know that restrictive state laws that haven’t kept pace with modern financial realities. Home Rule gives Lancaster the flexibility to make decisions that better reflect the city’s unique needs, allowing for a more efficient and responsive government. By adopting Home Rule, Lancaster can update how it manages revenue and expenses, ensuring the city stays financially stable and able to provide essential services to its residents.

Added Transparency

Home Rule brings greater transparency to the city’s budget process, empowering residents to have a stronger voice in how their tax dollars are spent. By providing more time for public review, Home Rule ensures that citizens can engage with and question the city’s financial plans. It also expands the role of the independently elected Controller, adding more oversight and accountability to city spending. With these improvements, residents will have clearer insight into the budget and greater confidence that funds are being managed responsibly for the benefit of the entire community.