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Chester council advances 2025 budget-related ordinances after debate over review time
Summary
After a split vote on a motion to delay consideration, Chester City Council read and approved on first reading a package of 2025 budget ordinances including the general fund appropriation and tax and fee codifications. One councilor pressed to table the measures, saying she had only two days to review a roughly $70 million budget.
Mayor Stefan Roots and Chester City Council read a series of ordinances related to the 2025 budget on first reading Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, after a contested motion to table the bills failed to gain majority support.
Councilor Lisa Green asked the council to table bills 11 through 19, saying she and other council members had been given only two days to review “a $70,000,000 budget” and that approving the ordinances without adequate time to review would not be “in good conscience.” Green said, “I cannot approve a budget that I have not had opportunity to thoroughly review.”
Why it matters: the package includes the city’s general fund appropriation for 2025, routine tax-code renewals and fee schedules and would set the framework for how the city spends in 2025. Council debate focused on process and the amount of time elected members had to analyze the materials before the first-reading votes.
Council deliberations and votes
Council considered a motion to table bills 11–19 early in the meeting. The roll call on that motion recorded the following: Councilor Gibson—No; Councilor Green—Yes; Councilor West—Yes; Councilor…
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