Chester solicitor says reinstating parking authority is needed to enforce parking contract

The Chester City Council on July 6 discussed Resolution 89, which would rescind a prior termination and reinstate the Chester Parking Authority as the controlling entity for the city’s parking contract.

The city solicitor explained the history and rationale: "So, in the in the past, the city has always had a parking authority... there was a time where the parking authority was essentially dormant and inactive, but the city was incurring a lot of cost for insurance," and that the authority was previously terminated to save funds. He said the authority was never formally dissolved with the Pennsylvania Corporation Bureau, and that reinstating it would allow the city to enforce parking in compliance with state law.

Council members pressed for operational details, asking whether the existing vendor contract would remain in place and whether it would need amendment. The solicitor said the city would likely amend the contract to change the controlling entity between the parking vendor and the city but that the contract would remain in effect.

The transcript records explanation and clarifying questions but does not include a recorded vote or final action on the resolution. The solicitor’s account cited state-law requirements in general terms; no specific statute was cited in the recorded remarks.