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Commissioners approve grants, contracts and issue proclamations on homelessness and carbon monoxide awareness
Summary
The board issued proclamations supporting National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month, heard a conservation district briefing, and approved routine grants and contract amendments including HUD programs and county service contracts.
The Chester County Board of Commissioners used its Nov. 5 meeting to issue two public‑safety and community proclamations, spotlight conservation programs and approve a slate of routine contracts and grants.
Proclamations and community partners
Commissioner Marion Moskowitz presented a proclamation recognizing National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and cited county figures: roughly 32,000 county residents live below the poverty line and more than 300 people experience homelessness on any given night. Dolores Colligan, director of Community Development, and members of the Chester County Partnership to End Homelessness accepted the proclamation and highlighted the role of the Lived Experience Advisory Board.
Commissioner Bell read a proclamation designating November 2025 as Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month. Laurie McCloskey of the Safe Kids Chester County Coalition accepted and said the coalition received a donation of more than 300 carbon monoxide detectors and has distributed about 200 across the county to date.
Conservation district presentation
Chris Stromer, managing director of the Chester County Conservation District, gave a broad overview of the district's history and programs: formed by petition in 1947 and operational from 1948, the district now administers delegated programs including Chapter 102 erosion and sediment control and post‑construction stormwater, and has helped secure about $15 million for conservation work in the county since 2020.
Contracts and grants
Directors from multiple departments presented contract amendments and new contracts across child welfare, transit, coroner, emergency services, mental health and workforce development. Highlights included:
- Children, Youth & Families: amendments and contracts for residential and foster care services and youth programs totaling several hundred thousand dollars to more than $800,000 for specific providers. - Community Development: the county's 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) of $2,477,719, HOME Investment Partnerships funds of $970,875.69 and an Emergency Solutions Grant of $224,920 were presented. Colligan noted the CDBG award is about $84,000 less than the prior year and that 2026 funding is uncertain. - Community Transit: an amendment adding $300,000 to a contract for the senior shared ride program and extending the end date to June 30, 2026.
Board action
The board approved the consent agenda (excluding HR items) and then approved the HR agenda after a separate vote in which Commissioner Rupp abstained because of a family relationship to a recently hired employee in the public defender's office. Grants and contract amendments on the agenda were approved by voice vote.
What to watch
Staff noted potential decreases in some federal and state funding for 2026 and said more information will follow once state budgets and grant notices are finalized. Several departmental presenters invited the public to visit county links for more information and to follow up with staff questions.
The meeting adjourned after public comment and procedural items.
