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Public commenters press Chester leaders on pensions, audits, parking revenue and health services
Summary
During the budget hearing, residents asked whether pensioners were still paid amid a $43,000,000 liability, sought audit and parking-receipts detail, and praised budgeted medical-service allocations given the absence of a local hospital.
At the City of Chesterpublic presentation on Dec. 8, two public commenters raised questions and made appeals about pensions, audits, parking revenues and local health services.
Olivia Smith, a signed-in attendee, asked whether retirees were still receiving pension payments given a cited $43,000,000 unpaid MMO. "Every pensioner is getting their pensions," CFO Richard Trautman replied, adding the figure represents an administrative liability the city owes to the pension funds and does not affect monthly distributions administered through PNC.
Smith also asked about the currency of financial audits. Trautman said the most recent issued audit covered 2021; work on the 2022 audit would begin Jan. 2 with an expected turnaround of four to five months, and the city anticipated audits catching up in 2026 and likely into 2027 when multiyear catch-up is factored.
On parking revenue, councilors and Smith pressed staff to clarify several line items. Trautman and staff described a $705,000 composite parking grouping (including a $303,125 payment under a Weidner parking pilot), a separate $80,000 line for parking fees tied to residential-permit and enforcement revenue, and an estimated $350,000 yield from a 15% parking tax levied around event parking. Staff said they would provide historical issuance and receipts data for handicap-permit revenue (a $15,000 projection in the budget) that was not available in the presentation packet.
Dietrich Shorter, representing the grassroots group 1PA, commended the city for allocating funds in the budget for medical services as Chester lacks a brick-and-mortar hospital. Shorter urged continued advocacy for local access to health care and noted that former hospital properties are now privately owned and may be the subject of future medical-service development, though details remain uncertain.
Council and administration responded to public requests by promising follow-up data (vehicle-list breakdowns, handicap-permit receipts and ARPA project itemizations) ahead of deliberations. The hearing closed with the mayor thanking attendees and adjourning the session.
