York City Council approves HARB certificates, grants and contracts; several measures pass unanimously

The York City Council on March 18 approved a series of routine and substantive measures, including a Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) certificate of appropriateness for multiple downtown properties, final passage of three bills (bills 2, 3 and 4), a substantial amendment to the HOME‑ARP allocation plan, submittal of the 2024 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), and ratification of a police union contract with White Rose Lodge No. 15 Fraternal Order of Police covering January 1 through December 31, 2026.

Resolution 18: HARB certificates — approved. Resolution 18, introduced by Councilmember Elizabeth Buck, approved a certificate of appropriateness as recommended by HARB for work at 10 West King Street, 1604–166 West Market Street, and 135 South Beaver Street. Council discussion noted a HARB presentation about a temporary mural project and an elevator shaft at 10 West King Street for which covering deteriorated windows was approved to preserve the structure. The roll call vote recorded all attending members as ‘‘Yes.’’

Final passage — bills 2, 3 and 4 — approved. The council gave final passage to bill number 2, bill number 3 and bill number 4. Discussion on bill 3 noted that grant funding will support the Bureau of Health’s Healthy Moms and Healthy Babies program. No public opposition was recorded. Roll call votes for the final passage items recorded all present councilmembers voting ‘‘Yes.’’ Specific ordinance text and fiscal impacts were not provided on the council floor for bills 2–4 in the transcript and are therefore marked as not specified here.

Resolution 19 — HOME‑ARP allocation plan amendment — approved. Resolution 19, introduced by Council President Kina Washington, approves a substantial amendment to the city’s HOME‑ARP allocation plan. Jada Richardson, the city’s housing director, said a March 12 public hearing on the matter was held but was not well attended; she pointed stakeholders to the city’s YouTube and Facebook pages for the March 12 presentation. The council voted to approve the amendment; the clerk recorded unanimous ‘‘Yes’’ votes.

Resolution 20 — CAPER submittal — approved. Resolution 20 authorizes submittal of the 2024 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report. The council moved, seconded and voted unanimously to approve the submittal.

Resolution 21 — Police union contract — approved. Resolution 21 approves the collective bargaining agreement with White Rose Lodge No. 15 Fraternal Order of Police covering the contract period that includes January 1 through December 31, 2026. Councilmembers expressed support and the measure passed on a unanimous recorded vote.

Vote summary: Each recorded roll call in the transcript lists the same five voting members and shows unanimous approval where votes were recorded. The transcript records the roll call pattern as: Buck (Yes), John Eskew (Yes), Dennis (Yes), Buckingham (Yes), Washington (Yes). Where the transcript included brief council discussion it was procedural or appreciative; no votes failed, and no recorded abstentions or recusals appeared in the meeting record.

Notes and missing details: The transcript records motions and unanimous roll‑call results but does not include full ordinance text, numeric fiscal impacts or contract financial details for several items. Where the agenda or staff presentations were referenced (for example, HARB materials or grant details for the Healthy Moms and Healthy Babies program), the meeting transcript either summarized the presentation or noted a prior presentation; specific dollar amounts and full contract documents were not included in the transcript. The article marks those specifics as "not specified."

Ending: All measures introduced and voted on at the March 18 legislative meeting moved forward; several items will generate follow‑up paperwork or implementation steps by city departments, per the usual administrative process.