Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Delaware County, Pennsylvania public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
8 issues in environment
$120 Million Open Space Bond Referendum
Voters could decide in November whether the county borrows up to $120 million to protect drinking water, rivers, wetlands, parks, and natural areas from development. Council debates the actual vote Wednesday — the resolution just puts the question on the ballot.
Stormwater management and Chester Creek Trail
DVRPC is set to allocate $9.75 million to build the next 1.3 miles of the Chester Creek Trail with no county match. Separately, a $300,000 DCNR grant will fund an ADA-accessible loop trail, parking and bathrooms at Delco Woods (former Don Guanella School).
Solar Arrays at Three County Buildings
The county wants solar panels on three county sites to grab the federal 30% clean-energy tax credit before it expires at the end of 2027 — good for sustainability and for dodging volatile energy bills.
Mosquito Forest Development in Upper Darby
A resident urged the county to fund preservation of a 15-acre forested Upper Darby parcel slated for 4,143 housing units that would remove roughly 2,000 trees, saying a revived Greenways program could change the township's calculus.
Flood gauges for stormwater and emergency warning
Fifty new stream gauges will give emergency services real-time data on rising water and help validate the county's stormwater plan models — a big deal for flood-prone neighborhoods.
Countywide composting and recycling expansion funded by $4.99M EPA grant
A state recycling grant covers half of the recycling coordinator's costs, with money passed through to the Solid Waste Authority. The coordinator helps every municipality in the county with recycling reports and grants — and future composting education.
Delaware County Greenways Finance Feasibility Study
Council celebrated two new trail openings in Upper Darby and Chester, part of a Greenways program that has invested $20 million countywide and leveraged $40 million more.
Greenlawn Cemetery preservation
Col. Jenkins is asking students to 'adopt a veteran' at facilities like Fair Acres, and volunteers to restore Greenlawn Cemetery, where Black Civil War veterans' headstones sank beneath the soil after a century of neglect.