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Chester council reads multiple final ordinances, first reading proposes pension-board code updates
Summary
City of Chester officials read final readings of multiple 2026 ordinances — including the budget, salary ordinance, several taxes and zoning changes — and held a first reading to update the pension board sections of the administrative code; no votes were recorded in the transcript.
The City of Chester convened its Dec. 8 deliberative meeting and read aloud multiple ordinances and two resolutions for council consideration while noting the meeting followed an executive session the mayor said "mostly dealing with personnel matters." The solicitous reading of items covered final readings for bills on zoning, street openings, the 2026 budget, employee salaries, business privilege and earned income taxes, a local services tax, and real estate tax rates, plus a first reading to amend pension-board code sections.
Solicitor (Speaker 2) led the session by reading each ordinance and the packet location for full text. He presented Bill 5 (Ordinance 5), a zoning amendment that would prohibit a construction company or tradesperson's headquarters in several commercial and residential zoning districts and add a definition in subsection 1365.02. He read Bill 6 (Ordinance 6), which would open Ulrich Street (a vacated street between West 2nd and West Front streets). He also read Bill 7 (Ordinance 7), the general-fund budget appropriation for calendar year 2026, and Bill 8 (Ordinance 8), the 2026 salary ordinance describing employee duties and compensation. "Bill number 10," the solicitor said, sets the Earned Income Tax at 3.75% for residents and 2% for nonresidents, with 1% designated to distressed pension payments. For real estate taxes, he read Bill 12, proposing a levy of 9.4041 mills and a library rate of 0.4017 mills for the 2026 fiscal year.
Two resolutions were read: R-147 would authorize preliminary/final approval for Grace Manor Homes’ land development at 0 West 7th Street, a proposed 21-lot subdivision for 18 twin homes and three single-family homes; R-148 would appoint tax-collection-committee representatives (Richard Trout Troutman as delegate, Eleonora Golson as first alternate, and Michael Hurst as second alternate). The transcript records the readings but does not record any votes or formal outcomes for these items.
A council member (Speaker 3) asked whether Bill 13 — the first-reading ordinance amending Article 142 on the aggregated pension fund — required changes to the city charter or the administrative code. VJ Kapoor (identified in the transcript as Receiver, Speaker 4) and the solicitor clarified that the changes affect the administrative code: the ordinance would replace existing code sections (142.03, 142.04 and 142.05) to update terminology and job titles so the pension-board membership reflects current positions. The exchange included the solicitor explaining the change is essentially a replacement of existing sections to bring nomenclature up to date.
The meeting closed without any votes or motions recorded in the provided transcript. The mayor thanked attendees for waiting after the earlier executive session and adjourned the meeting.
