Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Business topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chester council lists two resolutions, hears snow-removal and housing updates
Summary
At a deliberative meeting the council heard two resolutions for action — a $1.55 million PennDOT reimbursement authorization for the Norris Street Trail and an update to the city's delinquent-tax collection fees — and received updates on snow removal and Bennett Homes from the Chester Housing Authority; no votes were recorded in the transcript.
The City of Chester moved from a DelCorps presentation into a deliberative council meeting on Monday, where the solicitor read two resolutions for council consideration and staff provided routine operational updates.
The solicitor listed Resolution 18, which would authorize Thomas Moore or Andrew Hayman to execute documents and agreements with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to facilitate reimbursement of $1,550,000 in federal Transportation Alternatives set-aside funding for the Norris Street Trail and streetscape projects. A council member described the project route, comparing it to recently finished work on Highland Avenue and noting the East Coast Greenway context.
Resolution 19 would adopt an updated cost-of-collection schedule to be imposed by Ecollect Plus LLC for delinquent tax collections. Rich Trotman, the city's chief financial officer, said he would provide council members a comparative before-and-after fee schedule and described the approach as a progressive fee structure. "The initial starting point is a letter that would have been mailed out. It was $20. It's going to $30," Trotman said, explaining that additional fees accrue only if delinquency persists.
Council also asked for an update on snow removal. Councilman Shaiquan Davis said crews were prioritizing Nova Vista, that equipment was limited and that staff were focusing on safety and key access points; he encouraged residents to report hazardous snow piles so crews could respond.
The council asked the chair of the Chester Housing Authority about empty Bennett Homes units. Alethea Freeman, board chair, said she is coordinating with Executive Director Cindy Thompson and exploring financing and grant options; she said she would prefer to tear down and rebuild but acknowledged that demolition and redevelopment would be costly and that work continues to secure funding.
No votes on the resolutions were recorded in the transcript, and the meeting concluded after routine operational items and a few citizen service reports.
