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Tina Sloan Green among those named to Sports Hall of Fame...3A
Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 153, No. 46
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
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Kennett Square Borough unveils preliminary budget for 2020 As of now, no tax increase will be necessary to balance the spending plan By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Kennett Square Borough officials offered a first look at the proposed budget for 2020, and as of now there is no tax increase anticipated. During the Nov. 4 council meeting, Kennett Square Borough Manager Joseph Scalise outlined the proposed general fund budget that totals $5,051,439. For the 2019 budget, the expenditures were projected to be $4,904,409, so year-to-year expenditures are expected to increase slightly. Scalise said that the 2020 budget will not require a tax increase, and there are no increases in water, sewer, or solid waste fees, either. The borough manager outlined some of the items that impacted the borough’s budget. He noted that the borough retired about $1 million in debt during 2019. Additionally, the borough saved about $226,000 by refinancing some of its outstanding debt, which helps to offset some year-to-year
increases in expenditures for 2019 and 2020. The borough also completed the sale of the Weinstein lot to the Kennett Library, which generated revenues for the borough. Looking forward to 2020, Scalise said that the budget includes a two-percent increase in salaries for uniformed personnel, which is contracted. There is also a three-percent increase in salaries for the staff that is not contracted. Health insurance costs are going up by seven percent, the borough manager explained. One of the larger projects that the borough is planning to undertake in 2020 is the Birch Street project that has estimated engineering and construction costs of $710,000. The borough received a $500,000 Community Revitalization Program grant to offset these costs. The borough is also allocating $184,000 for paving program. Based on the projected budget, Scalise said, Kennett
Square Borough will retire an additional $1.17 million in debt during the next year. If the budget gets approved as is, without a tax increase, the millage rate will remain at 6.75 mills. Scalise said that the
proposed budget will be discussed again at the council meeting on Monday, Nov. 18. Borough council has tentatively scheduled a special meeting to discuss the budget on Monday, Nov. 25, but that meeting may not be
necessary. The plan is to formally adopt the 2020 budget on Monday, Dec. 2. In other business at the meeting, Kennett Square approved additional change orders for the wastewater treatment Continued on Page 3A
Kennett pulls out thrilling win in OT
Photo by Richard Gaw
Quarterback Sam Forte’s run on the first play from scrimmage in overtime broke a 14-14 tie to help punch the Kennett Blue Demons’ ticket into the semifinals of the District 1 playoffs. Please see Page 1B for a story about the win. Next, Kennett faces top-seeded Cheltenham on Nov. 15.
Historic win for Democrats After generations of Republican control, the county government is now in the hands of Democrats By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
The Democratic Party surged to an historic win on Election Day, capturing a majority on the threeperson Chester County Board of Commissioners for the first time as Marian Moskowitz (70,842 votes) and Josh Maxwell (68,914 votes) emerged as the top two vote-getters in the race. After two floods, a Incumbent Republican Kennett Square store Michelle Kichline (63,779 finally reopens...4A votes) edged Terence Farrell (62,287 votes) to win the
Marian Moskowitz
Josh Maxwell
Michelle Kichline
Fredda Maddox
third seat on the board. All the vote totals are unofficial until they are certified. Democrats also flipped a series of row offices that have long been held by Republicans. Deb Ryan
won the District Attorney race, Fredda Maddox is the new sheriff, and Debbie Bookman is the new prothonotary. Michele Vaughn won the race to become the register of wills and Chris
Pielli won the recorder of deeds race to complete the sweep for the Democrats. The get-out-the-vote effort played a significant role in the Democrats’ victory. Democrats edged republi-
cans in straight party votes by a margin of 53 to 46 across the county, and candidates with a “D” next to their name won an unprecedented number of local races Continued on Page 2A
Stevens socked with lawsuit In Franklin Township, by Kennett Township resident newly elected supervisors look toward the future By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Art by dozens of regional artists at Unionville High School...1B
INDEX Opinion.......................7A Obituaries...................2B Classifieds..................4B
© 2007 The Chester County Press
Kennett Township Solicitor David Sander announced at the township’s Board of Supervisors Nov. 6 meeting that board chairman Scudder Stevens was recently named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed against him by a township resident, who is claiming that Stevens does not have the authority to charge a real estate tax against him. The Berkheimer Tax Collection Agency, the township’s tax collector, has also been named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The plaintiff, Sander said, is proceeding without legal counsel. Sander did not disclose the name of the plaintiff, but said that his “legal” name contains several exotic symbols. He said that he is not aware of the punitive damages the
plaintiff is seeking. By a 3-0 vote, the board approved the hiring of Sander and the Norristownbased law firm of Kilkenny Law, where Sander is employed, as the legal representative for Stevens. In addition to his services for Kennett Township, Sander serves as legal counsel for Newtown Township (Bucks County), Borough of Millbourne, the Chester City Zoning Hearing Board, the Cheltenham Township Zoning Hearing Board, and the Plymouth Township Zoning Hearing Board. Referring to the context of the lawsuit, Sander said, “This is some interestingly-worded pleadings, something you don’t see every day, and I am learning a lot about the law that I never knew existed.” Sander said that when the township received the lawsuit, it was referred to
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the township’s insurance company, which denied coverage to the township “because there is exception for individual supervisors potentially acting outside the scope of their authority,” he said. “I see this as a suit that is against Scudder as a member of the Board of Supervisors.” Supervisor Dr. Richard Leff asked Sander if this case would qualify as a frivolous lawsuit, and if so, would Sander be able to recover any expenses. “The plaintiff is proceeding pro se, and it has been my experience that the courts are reluctant to impose attorney fees or punitive damages against pro se parties who at least present some kind of colorable, legal cause of action,” Sander said, “and if the court views this as somewhat of a legitimate Continued on Page 5A
By John Chambless Staff Writer The wave of Democratic wins on Nov. 5 reached far and wide across Chester County, including Franklin Township, where Democrats Mary McVeigh and David Gerstenhaber edged out Republicans Brent Van Lith and David Snyder for township supervisor positions. Out of 3,158 total votes, McVeigh and Gerstenhaber took 28 percent (910 and 887 votes, respectively). Van Lith took 22 percent (696 votes) and Snyder took 21 percent (664 votes). In an interview last week, Gerstenhaber looked back on the race and the results,
first thanking the residents who were part of the historic Democratic victories across the region. “It is truly amazing and humbling, the amount of support we have received in Franklin Township,” he said. “And while I certainly do not want to discount ‘the wave’ we saw in Chester County, Mary and I won by large margins against an incumbent Republican in a solidly Republican township. That’s more about our township, Democrats and Republicans, sending a message demanding a change rather than a result of any partisan trend.” Gerstenhaber and McVeigh took their campaign directly Continued on Page 3A
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