Chester County council accepts resignation, orders probe after board member alleges payroll and budget failures at Fort Long fire district
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Summary
A resignation letter read to the council detailed alleged payroll accounting errors, budgeting shortfalls and HR reporting lapses at the Fort Long Fire Protection District. Council accepted the resignation and authorized county staff and counsel to investigate the allegations and report back.
Maria Hedgepath, a Fort Long Fire Protection District board member, submitted a resignation letter dated Jan. 29, 2026, that was read aloud during the Feb. 2 Chester County Council meeting. The letter said Hedgepath identified "material concerns" including payroll paid in arrears without matching audit reporting periods, budget construction errors that omitted a 28% labor burden, unbudgeted utility funding and ongoing overtime contrary to board direction.
The letter, read by the county attorney, argued the issues raised operational, financial and audit exposure for the district. It described a period when Gene Hudson served as acting interim chief and said an operational schedule during his first pay period produced just four hours of overtime, while subsequent pay periods had no overtime—information Hedgepath cited as evidence that operations could be run within budget parameters.
Council members expressed concern about the allegations and the potential exposure to the district and county. A motion to accept Hedgepath's resignation was moved and approved by voice vote. Council then voted to authorize Administrator Hester and County Attorney Workman to work with Fort Long leadership and conduct an internal investigation into the matters Hedgepath raised, with findings to be reported back to council.
The council did not take disciplinary or operational actions at the meeting beyond authorizing the probe; members emphasized the need to avoid speculation and to ensure a factual, documented review. The investigation scope as stated on the floor includes examination of payroll accounting practices, budget construction and compliance, overtime and HR reporting pathways identified in Hedgepath's letter.
Next steps: county staff and counsel will coordinate with Fort Long leadership to conduct the investigation and return findings to the council. No timeline for the investigation was specified at the Feb. 2 meeting.