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Council agrees to 50% reduction for 2024 Christmas-parade invoice; broader special-event fee policy to be revisited
Summary
Council approved placing on consent a 50% reduction to the Greater West Chester Area Chamber of Commerce invoice for the 2024 Christmas parade and directed staff and relevant committees to develop a consistent policy for special-event fees and parking revenue sharing for 2025.
West Chester Borough Council on Feb. 18 agreed to place on the consent agenda a 50% reduction for the Greater West Chester Area Chamber of Commerce’s invoice for the 2024 Christmas parade and discussed developing a clearer policy for special‑event costs going forward.
Council members and the chamber representative said the reduction is being granted for the 2024 invoice because the borough changed its fee structure in October 2024 after the parade was already planned and budgeted to earlier, lower figures. The chamber’s representative said it had not received an estimate from borough departments in recent years and received the invoice after planning on prior-year assumptions.
“The bill was like three times as much as what they were expecting — it was like $15,000 versus $5,000,” the chamber representative said, describing the immediate problem the measure addresses. Council members emphasized that granting the reduction for 2024 should not set permanent precedent and asked committees to craft consistent policy for 2025.
Mayor and council members said the parking-fee change that reduced the borough’s special-event parking charge from $20 to $10 had been intended to be one consistent approach across events; some members said the Christmas parade is an outlier because it also involves decorations, lights and other borough-provided support beyond a single event. One council member proposed treating borough support as a formal sponsorship with commensurate marketing benefits to structure future contributions.
Council asked the finance and parking committees to coordinate a policy discussion for April so the chamber and other event organizers can plan. Meanwhile, council placed the 50% reduction on the consent agenda for formal approval at the next meeting.
Ending: The reduced invoice for 2024 will be on the consent agenda; council directed staff and committee chairs to return a recommended approach for special-event fees, parking revenue use and potential sponsorships before plans and budgets for 2025 events are finalized.
