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Chester finance packet shows year-end payroll drain but no unpaid December bills
Summary
City Administrator Marquita Fair’s January 9 memo shows December 2025 vendor payments of $102,460.16, a Hospitality Tax account balance of $268,016.27 and an operating account balance of $65,053.16 after heavy year‑end payroll and benefit activity; the December audit report had not yet been received from Greene Finney Cauley LLP.
City Administrator Marquita Fair reported to the Finance Committee that the City of Chester closed December 2025 with all December vendor vouchers paid and no open vendor obligations. The memorandum, dated Jan. 9, 2026, lists total paid vouchers for the month at $102,460.16 and states all December invoices were processed and paid within the reporting period.
Fair summarized bank records showing the Hospitality Tax account at First Citizens Bank ended Dec. 31 with $268,016.27 and the City operating (SWP) account ended Dec. 31 with $65,053.16. The operating account ledger reflects substantial automatic debits tied to payroll, retirement and benefit-related transfers typical of year-end activity.
The packet’s First Citizens Bank statements and the City’s vendor activity report provide line-item support for Fair’s summary: deposits and transfers into accounts, multiple payroll and benefits debits, and itemized vendor checks. The vendor activity report lists payments across departments for utilities, IT support, maintenance, and program reimbursements.
Fair also flagged an outstanding administrative point: the external accounting firm Greene Finney Cauley LLP had posted November figures, and the formal December report from the firm had not been received as of Jan. 9. The memorandum says the December report will be reviewed and shared with Council once received.
The memorandum and accompanying bank statements note December’s pattern—higher outflows for payroll and benefits and lower revenue receipts prior to January property tax distributions—rather than any extraordinary or unplanned expenditures. The Finance Committee packet does not record debate or a vote on these documents; the memorandum was distributed for the committee’s review and for the regular agenda presentation.
The committee agenda also lists a later executive-session item related to a contractual matter involving the Fire District, and the packet indicates a fuller update on sanitation revenue and fire-department transition matters will be provided at the meeting.
