[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6202987,"mediaKeyId","3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477","parentId",3784982,"title","Finance director reports about $27 million cash, $9 million reserve and $18.65 million in debt","audioSeconds",430,"startMs",28000,"endMs",458000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477&start=28&end=458","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477/thumbnail_28000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6202987/West-Chester/Chester-County/Pennsylvania/Finance-director-reports-about-27-million-cash-9-million-reserve-and-1865-million-in-debt","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6202987-d6147d412fb6e00b18ef1b614d4e8be5/orig.mp4?Expires=1775457966&Signature=ZMfYvdPAqmbVfoQrzbbnSSxEkN5MwDyO869tN6zMDhIjbdkvhWdq0BunZ6y5byKAtNFTO-FXFxZqF~7NEc6dKlGNqD5~53Ahj8TD2K~suRthrbMf9PkGXCgvMNVmixrAguCCoKg~P48R4Oz9K5ITd2aqKKSQBc-mj2LBz78f~d4GNGr98ZvKq4f~DGKGeJtZye0QGqLI00-21VAfWm0WBt~3v7dI9UaWWP7o8tS7vnJWUYjhuLbph02n2yQcqbU1vx9qLrfFc7TrEmHr5o3luEy9t2CgN969rs0jdmcs1zhZiq-jL14a9G77oEo6bDTncEkrD-OAS4eJ~r68t~QF3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Borough of West Chester, PA","date","2025-06-12T16:27:07.06Z","article","Finance Director Barb Leonte told the West Chester Finance and Revenue Committee on Wednesday that the borough’s cash position as of May 31, 2025, included roughly $27 million in cash, a capital operating reserve of a little more than $9 million and long‑term debt totaling $18,654,000.

Leonte said the borough’s larger-than-expected interest earnings are driven by funds placed with the Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust (PLIGATE). “That’s money that we have been able to transfer over over the past few years, and that's where how we're beating our interest targets,” she said.

The report noted receipts and disbursements for the month and flagged $393,504 remaining in ARPA funds and about $333,000 allocated for the Gay Street project; Leonte said the Gay Street allocation was higher than the 2025 budgeted amount. She also described interfund reconciliations that reduced due-to/due-from balances and cited better-than-budgeted performance in several revenue lines, including business privilege and interest income.

Committee members pressed Leonte for context on reserves and debt servicing. “Do you know what we started? I guess, I'm gonna say, like, last year, roughly what that balance was in the reserve,” one committee member asked; Leonte estimated it had been in the “range of $8,000,000.” When asked whether the borough could finance a new public works garage, Leonte said, “I think that would be a a strong possibility,” but added it would require further analysis.

Leonte also walked members through recent check register entries. She said several checks were written to the borough for principal and interest related to parking and other debt service and that approximately $4 million of those funds were placed in PLIGATE “to be deposited in the general fund, sewer, parking and stream protection, to earn interest and meet our interest targets for 2025.”

The committee discussed budget risks and headwinds, including higher-than-expected capital project costs and the need for continued reconciliation and monitoring. Leonte identified debt and rising capital costs as primary headwinds and noted that tailwinds include higher interest earnings on reserve balances. She summarized: “Biggest issues that we're facing... revenues are coming in or and are meeting, expense expectations,” and emphasized that budgeted authority depends on actual receipts.

The committee did not adopt any new financing measures during the report; members asked staff to provide more detailed historical reserve numbers and to continue analyzing options should the borough pursue additional capital projects.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Finance & Revenue - June 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Finance Director Barb Leonte told the West Chester Finance and Revenue Committee on Wednesday that the borough’s cash position as of May 31, 2025, included roughly $27 million in cash, a capital operating reserve of a little more than $9 million and long‑term debt totaling $18,654,000.","taxTitle","West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania","taxId",71483,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6202969,"Committee notes DCED fund/Uptown repayment and plans follow-up on reuse of $200,000",79,2439000,2518000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477&start=2439&end=2518","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477/thumbnail_2439000.jpg","/articles/6202969/West-Chester/Chester-County/Pennsylvania/Committee-notes-DCED-fundUptown-repayment-and-plans-follow-up-on-reuse-of-200000","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6202969-59ed9c1bfff37fe9aa304fc4705f398d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775457965&Signature=CPmb4cNkcV6DoYuozZgwkfq~ES08MD8BEfmNX2eq5NjzEYEpsSvjSVxldiEMqvBkCvarTXiiM1f0~9TC9kfIWChJZg3p-wcRJfQH-HE8NYxoOBZoV1FR5QpvSwRl12pXtmcyCFJI8DJQHIg53Gm79S83J-q0U7X~jWY1QlCOkARMdBfZZTQUlI0-xuc3g4Oqh59N4b0stNZzTdIzeV3oq9qzj7ncicd~HCh9oZLAcNxBWgD5X64mBfIBOe7uC2ADcwCspdElw12DgZD60VVjpC0Ca2HPwAJ32iUpTINAP-mcF5KedWjmx8PuqRVH4xuWEzNvv1Amot4Y9Vo9O6lKFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A committee member raised the status of a DCED-related fund that the borough had previously loaned to Uptown and reported the loan had been repaid with interest. The money was repaid and placed in the general fund, but staff noted there is opportunity to re‑use the funds for loans or other projects.

“...we were chatting, about the Christmas parade and, conversation came up and and said something to Sean because we were like, oh, yeah. What about whatever happened to that $200,000 that we lent to Uptown that they paid us back?” a committee member asked. Staff and council members clarified the repayment occurred around 2023 and that the borough now holds the funds in the general fund.

Committee members suggested placing discussion of how to deploy the reflowing funds on a future finance meeting agenda. Staff (Sean) was asked to assemble documentation on the origin of the funds, repayment terms and any restrictions so the committee can determine appropriate reuse or lending criteria. No formal decision to reallocate the money was made at the meeting; members agreed to discuss options in more detail next month.","Committee members discussed a $200,000 award the borough had previously loaned to Uptown (repaid with interest) and agreed the funds—now in the general fund—could be used again as a loan; staff (Sean) will prepare details for a follow-up discussion at next month's finance meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6202974,"Committee approves June purchase requests including ammunition, park repairs, drones and cloud storage",68,2342000,2410000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477&start=2342&end=2410","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477/thumbnail_2342000.jpg","/articles/6202974/West-Chester/Chester-County/Pennsylvania/Committee-approves-June-purchase-requests-including-ammunition-park-repairs-drones-and-cloud-storage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6202974-fb744e88100b6c21fc281dd16e1a3bfb/orig.mp4?Expires=1775457965&Signature=YdbAQNeEhlmc5aOf2lytDavOw5eh4G76TD~~QEWjB1ElCnx83ZNUxP2NEVF6iwrkAKmHd8yP2EJZt37sL2Q3NUYMUIQmxLC0q-A4cNJcvpm0e6gKmnA0dA-jRcRK01e1J~5KDLb24QHq6mNM~bwTsu7cnpMp~zVf9pUV-OoUCj7LjPSiJFp9lNWJkPuYQBKsi98pWWbGDyn~zRgX9F4zpMU8uIW58uokWDnRNRgROcff3i-9IF0qgKYAuxU-HNhGCikDUMQ6W31VJg1wpjt39eFm-~nR6Tou7r39snI-k42OmxbfiU~kZNayzSzrg92a7SKYmRNOJv1x6-5sfmGsow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee approved purchase requests listed on the agenda, including ammunition, park repairs, drone equipment for the police department and cloud services.

Items approved (as listed on the packet) included a purchase from Eagle Point (ammunition, $18,000), Marshall Square Park repairs (amount listed on agenda; see clarifying note below), Adorama (drones for police, $21,136.35), Motorola (cloud storage, $18,750), Eusalco (phosphorus removal, $12,835.20) and T2 Systems (four handheld devices for the parking department, $15,402).

A member of the public asked technical questions about the drones’ capabilities and noted what appeared to be two higher‑spec and one lower‑spec unit; the committee had no objections to the items and approved the requests on consent. The committee asked that the police chief be available to answer follow‑up technical questions about the drone models when convenient.

No individual purchase was pulled for separate discussion at the meeting.","The finance committee approved a series of purchase requests on consent, including ammunition, repair work at Marshall Square Park, drones for the police department, cloud storage and equipment for parking operations; committee members asked for police to be available to answer technical questions about drones.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6202977,"Parks and Rec to reallocate $20,000 saved on Horace Pippen to John O. Green splash pad replacement; motion approved",83,2182000,2265000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477&start=2182&end=2265","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477/thumbnail_2182000.jpg","/articles/6202977/West-Chester/Chester-County/Pennsylvania/Parks-and-Rec-to-reallocate-20000-saved-on-Horace-Pippen-to-John-O-Green-splash-pad-replacement-motion-approved","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6202977-d48c284e6e57ee06ac0abce7871a4a83/orig.mp4?Expires=1775457965&Signature=Y6uw-HOASNUHj~qQt8IwWxFNDA3x6~8Waw9GVKo6bToGl4ui~4B-IOAGLne~T6kgTEA3wzN-FbOQGMJoewRViqTNtFLFNqKIXymyVN7DvpjFvy0m6sJIcDnMD-WHuvBEXJdpyUssIERI8J7zJVAFeXCG3-Aqd1f8CQd6ceAEwngSxVmwuOwNDNuWb3hRpxEBacMtOZjs9ILdRlVXQNHDUVAUp-wVev6lVzk1ijDUEt3DBgnUmWaZ8vgdclWAntQpxdDE7EiRt~u22dgRbHk0cTKJNTn8qbWHcm4a6YHvw8upkBVpTowMpi1rhkGFnStEJ0ZsR3nter6ZU2MMdWOQQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Keith Krauski, director of Parks and Recreation, told the committee that the Horace Pippen project will come in under the budgeted estimate and that those savings could be shifted to the John O. Green splash pad replacement, which is expected to exceed its budget.

“The Horace Pippen project... we're gonna be saving money in that aspect,” Krauski said, noting that one of the lower-cost design concepts selected by the Friends of Horace Pippen Park reduced the expected price. He confirmed the Horace Pippen line will be about $65,000 and said the John O. Green splash pad is expected to need approximately $85,000; the planned swap would leave the overall parks capital total unchanged.

Committee members asked for clearer chart labeling to show the $20,000 transfer and Krauski and staff agreed to update materials in future reports. There was no request for added funds; the committee approved the transfer and the corresponding purchase requests that followed the capital approvals.

The committee recorded the approval as a consent action; staff will update the capital budget spreadsheet to explicitly show the transferred amount and revised project totals.","Parks and Recreation Director Keith Krauski told the committee Horace Pippen work will come in under estimate and can free about $20,000 to help cover higher-than-budgeted costs for the John O. Green splash pad; the committee approved switching the line items so the total capital program remains unchanged.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6202980,"Councilmembers debate standard policy, cap and memorandum of understanding for Christmas parade support",1236,888000,2124000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477&start=888&end=2124","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3784982-d740638fafb5c2c52f06b406a969b477/thumbnail_888000.jpg","/articles/6202980/West-Chester/Chester-County/Pennsylvania/Councilmembers-debate-standard-policy-cap-and-memorandum-of-understanding-for-Christmas-parade-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6202980-adc5470211a3147d47a6397f4b6b61c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1775457965&Signature=LOjnKkMq7CUbGgKUUSEbygCpnFEBLrDix6eOzHU1cJ9OoM7EpCxpVACI1vye11qd~Gq4LE8ov9EjpbbRENFUEq59Ywcz5y0wiR0d1nilxeaUrWao0I5EVGvNN~9RsxKG~0lDAZ44IAX3AUzunSAQ~pDTOEwp-cpLVxVuX5ryEY9-FloNqsLlpfa6pvsyebFsMMEK-Bz9btOCFDxkisNBW1uIfkwruZ4~54d7dJW34oHiPQgOM3N5MMmQ0XRo5c1Xf3aVj7vxwqIcfJma3E4XVMomRkMEKl8v2wtdr-w-riEDnFJCu7xx792HoT2vP3HWT~CD6Is60FgEuO-WR5~BXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee members reviewed a multi-year spreadsheet of invoices and fee decisions for the Christmas parade dating from 2018 through 2024 and discussed whether the borough should adopt a standardized policy for support of large events.

Barb Leonte summarized past fee changes and reductions, saying the chamber was granted a 50% reduction on a late 2024 bill because the borough had changed to standardized flat fees after parade planning was already underway. “We changed the fees in the middle of the year last year… We'll give you the 50% off rate for this year,” Leonte said, explaining why the chamber received a reduction.

A chamber representative told the committee the group had anticipated a bill of about $8,000 and was surprised by the invoice after the new fee structure took effect. “I anticipated a a bill around 8000 dollars, which is what we ended up paying,” the chamber representative said.

Members discussed possible approaches including a standard percentage reduction plus a cap, issuing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the chamber, or adopting objective criteria in the event-permit process. One member suggested a starting approach of a 50% reduction with a $5,000 cap; another said she wanted a single, standardized process that would avoid ad‑hoc negotiations going forward. Committee leadership proposed drafting an MOU and running it by the solicitor, and agreed to place the item on the work session (and, if ready, the consent agenda) for the next meeting. “We'll put this on the work session,” one committee member said.

Staff said they are researching parade permit language used by other municipalities and will share sample templates with the chamber and council. No formal sponsorship policy or binding support amount was adopted at the meeting; the committee instead directed staff to return with draft language and recommended cost/benefit criteria for council consideration.","Committee members and event organizers discussed how the borough should standardize event fees and financial support for large events such as the Christmas parade; the chamber described unexpected invoices from changed fee rules and committee members agreed to place a policy discussion on the work session agenda.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Finance director reports about $27 million cash, $9 million reserve and $18.65 million in debt

Committee notes DCED fund/Uptown repayment and plans follow-up on reuse of $200,000

Committee approves June purchase requests including ammunition, park repairs, drones and cloud storage

Parks and Rec to reallocate $20,000 saved on Horace Pippen to John O. Green splash pad replacement; motion approved

Councilmembers debate standard policy, cap and memorandum of understanding for Christmas parade support