Harrisburg council overrides mayoral vetoes on four budget amendments, removing funding for four city positions

HARRISBURG — The Harrisburg City Council on a special legislative night voted to override Mayor Williams’s vetoes on four amendments to the proposed 2026 municipal budget, removing line-item salary funding for four specified positions.

Council members voted in favor of the first three amendments by 5–2: amendments to eliminate funding for the interim director of Building and Housing Development, the business administrator, and the project director for business development / LERDA administrator. A fourth amendment, to eliminate funding for the Bureau of Police position titled director of community engagement and relations, initially failed but, after the vote was recalled and reread, passed 5–2.

The actions came after members of the public urged the council to override the mayor’s vetoes. “I wanna ask you to override the mayor’s veto,” longtime resident Ronald Chapel told the council, calling the move “courageous and selfless.” Robert Williams, another Harrisburg resident, criticized the administration’s processes and questioned city legal spending, saying the city had paid "$31,000 for ethics attorney" fees tied to a dispute involving the mayor.

Clerks read each amendment into the record before council members voted. According to the clerk, “a vote yes means to override the veto,” and state law requires five votes — a supermajority — to override a mayoral veto.

Votes at a glance: the council recorded the following outcomes — Amendment 1 (interim director, Building and Housing Development): passed 5–2; Amendment 2 (business administrator): passed 5–2; Amendment 3 (project director/LERDA administrator): passed 5–2; Amendment 4 (police bureau director of community engagement and relations): initially failed 4–3, then passed 5–2 after the recall and revote.

Council members who voted in favor during the successful overrides included Daniels, Jones, Rolls (Rose in some roll-call audio), Rodriguez and President Hill; Davis and Green recorded the two opposing votes on the first three tallies. Clerks recorded a correction and an apology during the fourth amendment’s roll call before the final result.

The amendments will change staffing line items in the 2026 proposed municipal budget; the council took the votes during a session that began at 6:17 p.m. and concluded at 6:34 p.m.

The meeting record shows residents raised concerns about administrative process, police accountability and municipal legal fees during public comment. The council did not enter further discussion on those public allegations during the vote; no formal response from the mayor or legal department was recorded during the session.

The council adjourned after completing the agenda and several holiday remarks from members.