City government · Dallas County, TX

Lancaster's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2021), Lancaster took in $79.0 million and spent $61.6 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2021Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes53%Fees for services (water, sewer)31%Fines and other12%County and local tax money3.2%

What stands out

16%

of Lancaster's money comes from sales tax.Most U.S. cities of 10,000 to 50,000 people get none.

City taxes53%

Property tax
34%$27.2 million
Sales tax
16%$12.5 million
Other taxes
3.0%$2.3 million
What's in other taxesOccupation and business licenses
  • Occupation and business licenses$2.3 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services31%

Fees for services
31%$24.6 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 4 more
  • Water$9.1 million
  • Sewer$8.5 million
  • Garbage collection$2.7 million
  • Other service charges$2.7 million
  • Parks and recreation$779 thousand
  • Airport$711 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

County and local tax money3.2%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.2%$2.5 million

Fines and other12%

Interest, rents and other
11%$8.6 million
Fines
1.5%$1.2 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities31%Running the government and other costs27%Police, fire, courts and jails26%Interest on debt5.4%Roads, transit and parking5.4%Parks, recreation and libraries5.3%

What stands out

27%

of Lancaster's spending goes to running the government and other costs.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 18%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
31%$19.0 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; garbage and solid waste and 1 more
  • Water supply$16.2 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$1.7 million
  • Sewer systems$1.2 million
Running the government and other costs
27%$16.8 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; government buildings and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$13.6 million
  • Government buildings$1.4 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$1.0 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$730 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
26%$15.9 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsFire protection; police and 2 more
  • Fire protection$8.1 million
  • Police$7.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$333 thousand
  • Inspections and regulation$246 thousand
Interest on debt
5.4%$3.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$2.7 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$692 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
5.4%$3.3 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$2.8 million
  • Airports$493 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
5.3%$3.3 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$2.9 million
  • Libraries$365 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Lancaster. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Finance, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2021. The Census record for this government is from the 2022 survey, the newest on file.

What this covers. The money of City of Lancaster itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.