Busy agenda also features new Civil Service Commission member, talk about communication
By Kelly O’Hara, Staff Writer, The Times
Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick swears in new alternative member, Stephanie Everett, to the Civil Service Commission, Monday night.
KENNETT — It was a busy agenda at Monday night’s Kennett Square Borough Council meeting, with topics ranging from whether big cities should be able to keep some tax funds to the retirement of the police chief, an appointment to the borough’s Civil Service Commission and improving communication between council and residents.
There was a lengthy and thoughtful debate around the decision of whether or not the council should support a resolution asking that the state’s The Sterling Act be amended. There are efforts statewide to gain the support of local municipalities to help lobby state legislators to amend the legislation that was enacted in 1932. The Sterling Act allowed for cities like Philadelphia to keep wage taxes that would have been returned back to the employees’ place of residence. In 2014, the loss to Chester County municipalities was approximately $4.8 million with additional losses to school districts.
The calculated loss to the borough of Kennett Square was approximately $12,000 and much more to Kennett Consolidated School District. KCSD is in favor of the resolution to amend the act.
There was disagreement among the council members on whether or not to support the resolution to amend. Those in favor of amending the Act argued that the tax revenue belongs to Kennett Square and should come back to borough so it can be spent on borough needs. They felt strongly that it was in the best interest of the residents of Kennett Square to spend the money in the community where residents will directly benefit from the revenue.
Those that oppose any change argued that it is important to support large cities like Philadelphia as they provide a place for residents of suburbs like Kennett Square to experience the arts, culture and opportunities of a big city. They argued that Philadelphia is struggling and it is in our best interest to help support the city rather than take away the tax revenue. They also pointed out that in order to make up for the lost revenue, Philadelphia would likely increase the wage tax, which will put additional financial burden on any borough resident that works in the city.
The resolution to support a resolution to amend the Sterling Act was defeated 4-3 with Council members Braffman, Cramer, Mallon and Myers voting against supporting the resolution and Maffei, Bosley and Doerfler voting to support.
The council also voted to accept the letter of Retirement from Chief of Police Edward Zunino after 40 years of service. The council thanked Chief Zunino for his service and acknowledged that they are big shoes to fill. A committee will be formed to find a replacement to fill the position.
The council also approved the appointment of alternative member, Stephanie Everett, to the Civil Service Commission. Mayor Matthew Fetick swore in Ms. Everett. Council member Ethan Cramer appealed to the borough residents to volunteer for additional alternate positions.
During the reports portion of the agenda, council member Wayne Braffman provided an update on the work of the Public Communications Ad Hoc Committee. The committee set out to find ways to improve communications between borough residents and council members. Since being formed, a public drop box has been created where residents can view borough documents such as meeting agendas, discussion documents and financial reports.
Job descriptions have been posted and there was a new document created that residents can use to share ideas with the council. The council is also working to improve communications during meetings so that discussions are mutually respectful in order to achieve a spirit of cooperation and collaboration. The council members agreed that there has been a lot of progress in this area, but there is still improvement to be made.
Mary Hutchins, Executive Director of Historic Kennett Square, asked for the Council’s opinion on a planned for a Holiday Village that would be a family friendly event featuring 12-20 artisans selling holiday items. The proposed Holiday Village would be a joint project between Kennett Township, the Borough of Kennett Square, Historic Kennett Square and The Creamery. The Council members agreed that it would be a great event to promote Kennett Square that would bring people into town and encourage them to shop local. The event would be held the first weekend of December at The Creamery.
