Chester CountyPRESS
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Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 151, No. 46
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Kennett Square Borough Council unveils a proposed budget for 2018
60 Cents
On to the next round
No tax increase is anticipated. There is no increase in water or sewer fees By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Kennett Square Borough Council unveiled the proposed budget for 2018 at the council meeting on Nov. 6. The general fund budget will amount to $4,646,801. No tax increase is anticipated, and the millage rate would remain at 6.35 mills if the proposed spending plan is adopted as is. Borough coun-
cil is expected to approve the budget in early December. Borough manager Joseph Scalise explained that in addition to no tax increase, there will be no increase in the water or sewer fees, and a decrease in solid waste fees. There is a proposed increase in metered parking fees, from 75 cents per hour to one dollar per hour, that is under consideration for 2018. Continued on Page 2A
Photo by Richard L. Gaw
Unionville football Head Coach Pat Clark speaks to his team moments after the Indians defeated Strath Haven, 39-8 on Nov. 10, to advance to the District 1, Class 5A semi-finals, where they will play a home game against MarpleNewtown on Nov. 17, beginning at 7 p.m. For a complete story, see Page 1C.
Bell wins mayoral race Kennett Library in Oxford Borough referendum passes INSIDE Democrats Amanda Birdwell, Phillip Hurtt, and Robert Ketcham join Oxford Borough Council, while council president Ron Hershey is re-elected By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer
Top artists exhibit at Unionville High School this weekend...1D
Marking milestones with original jewelry...1D
Lorraine Durnan Bell is the new mayor of Oxford Borough after her Election Day victory on Nov. 7. Bell, a Democrat who is currently finishing her term as a member of the Oxford School Board, received 391 votes, or 49 percent of the total votes, while Republican candidate Pam Benjamin earned 341 votes, or 43 percent of the total votes. There were also 63 votes, about 8 percent of the total votes, cast for writein candidates in a race that was close enough for the write-in votes to potentially make a difference.
Lorraine Durnan Bell
Bell thanked the residents of Oxford Borough for the opportunity to serve as their mayor. “I am so grateful and honored to have been elected as the first woman mayor of this amazing town,”
totals $12,816,520 for next year, which includes an equal split of $5,599,870 After gathering on four in expenditures and revoccasions to hammer out enue in its General Fund. figures and projections for On the fund’s revenue side, next year, the New Garden top revenue sources will Board of Supervisors gave include $1.3 million in real approval to the township’s estate taxes, and $2.9 mil2018 preliminary budget, at lion in local enabling taxes. its Nov. 13 meeting. On the revenue ledger, the New faces coming The projected balance top expenditure from the to East Marlborough sheet for the township General Fund will be to the Supervisors...4A
Opinion.......................7A Police Blotter..............2C Obituaries...................4C Classifieds................6C
In the days and weeks leading up to Election Day on Nov. 7, the Board of Directors for the Kennett Library canvassed the roadsides and mailboxes of New Garden Township with a blitz of signage and mailings, calling for assistance to the library. On Oct. 24, four library representatives brought their pitch directly to the voters in New Garden, with a presentation intended to inform and inspire. These efforts worked, because on Nov. 7, the voters of New Garden Township walked into polling booths and proceeded to change the future of the Kennett Library, forever. By a vote of 1,014-651,
Southern Chester County Regional Police Department at a projected $2.06 million, and $517,100 for street and highway maintenance. The General Fund was one of 12 budget allocations projected for the township for next year. The others include (with allocations) the Fire Fund, $123,750; the Parks Fund, $46,500; the Sewer Fund, $2,320,400;
the Airport (New Garden Flying Field) Fund, $792,200; the Debt Service Fund, $328,700; the Capital Fund, $540,400; the Open Space Fund, $1,365,000; the Sewer Capital Fund, $630,000; the Airport Capital Fund, $184,000; the Capital Reserve Fund, $415,700; and the township’s State Liquid Fuels
By John Chambless Staff Writer The extra money that the Ford School District found itself with recently will probably be put toward the cost of replacing the HVAC system at Hillendale Elementary School. At their Nov. 13 meeting, the school board heard
from Robert Cochran, the director of business and operations, about the work at the school that has a price tag of $2,373,175. That pretty well matches the projected surplus of $2,196,089, which arose from better-than-expected health care costs and special education costs to the district. “Basically, this will
fund the HVAC work at Hillendale,” Cochran told the board. “I want to be clear that there are no new things that are contemplated to be paid for with this money. This is all stuff that has been discussed as part of the 10-year plan that we looked at this past January. It’s all for the HVAC at Hillendale and the related projects.”
the township approved a referendum that will create an annual dedicated tax of about $20 per household that is projected to generate an additional $80,000 in revenue to the library. The referendum read: “Do you favor increasing New Garden Township’s real estate property tax by 0.100 mills, the revenue from such increase to be used exclusively to fund the operation of the Kennett Library?” “Our combined efforts helped to encourage 60.9 percent of the New Garden voters to vote YES for the modest .1 mil tax increase that will end the string of deficits the library has been forced to endure since the State eliminated their English as Second Language funding in 2012,” said Library Board Vice President Jeff Yetter. Continued on Page 3A
Teachers union takes a needed hit By Uncle Irvin
The board will vote at their Nov. 20 meeting whether to proceed with the full transfer of the funds. The board will also vote next week on approving new courses for the middle school and high school – “Traditional Algebra 1,” “Academic Statistics,” “Engineering
Despite protests from teachers’ unions in Pennsylvania, there are new state regulations that will be law, affecting criteria for teacher layoffs. The new provision strips seniority-only protection from teachers in districts that are facing layoffs. The unions claim that the layoffs will be based on a flawed evaluation, which includes performance evaluations. Teachers’ unions are in the business to protect the hacks, not exemplary teachers,
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U-CF School Board proposes putting surplus into Hillendale renovations
Calendar of Events.....3D Unionville-Chadds © 2007 The Chester County Press
Continued on Page 2A
By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
New Garden board approves 2018 prelim budget By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
INDEX
she said in an email two days after the election. “‘Service before self’ is a motto that rings true in Oxford, and I look forward to serving my hometown community. Working with the Oxford Police Department, the Borough Council and the community will be my pleasure. My dedication to this town will not waiver, and I hope to be a positive part of the great changes and improvements to come over the next four years.” There were six candidates vying for four seats on Oxford Borough Council, and Democrats did very well. Amanda
in New Garden