Chester City Council hires firm for code enforcement

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CHESTER — City council passed a ser i es of resolutions Wednesday aimed at bot h generating revenue and cutting costs.

Council unanimously vot ed, 5- 0, t o hire Remingt on, Ver - nick and Beach Engineers t o provide code enforcement ser vices and t er minat ed t he contract of t he city’s previous code enforcement provider, Code I nspections, I nc.

Chief of St af f Ron St ar r said Code Inspections Inc. was charging t he city for ser vices t he city should have been doi ng on i t s own. He added t hat i n some i nspection cases, Chest er was charging 50 per - cent l ess t han ot her county municipalities.

“We have a f i r m t hat will help save us about 30 percent i n t er ms of what we’re spendi ng,” Mayor John Linder said. “We’ve had t o l ook at a number of sources for revenue generation.”

Council also unanimously approved resolutions hir i ng Por t nof f Law Associat es t o coll ect delinquent t axes and Roe Fabr i cat ors, I nc. t o constr uct eight double- sided electronic adver t i sing displays. Council vot ed, 5- 0, t o amend t he schedule of fees for per mits i n an ef for t t o raise rat es comparable t o ot her municipalities wit hin Delaware County.

Councilman Naf i s Nichols, t he city’s direct or of accounts and f i nance, said t he city has $ 1.4 million i n delinquent t axes and t hat Por t nof f Law Associat es has a 94 percent success rat e at ret aining del i nquent t axes.

Regarding t he displays, Nichols said t he city will gain t he g reat er of $ 200,000 or 20 percent of t he adver t i sing rat es each year. The signs will be placed along I nt erst at e 95 and Rout e 291. They also will allow t he city t o display i t s own messages.

Nichols said t he city’s i nvolvement i n t he Strong Citi es, Strong Communities federal i nitiative helped br i ng about t he electronic display ag reement.