Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Delaware County, Pennsylvania public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues with medium priority
Darby Creek Trail washout repairs
A stretch of trail between the Swedish Cabin and Kent Park has been washing out since 2020 due to flooding and stormwater runoff. The county will seek a $500,000 state grant for drainage fixes, stream bank armoring, and a flood-resistant trail rebuild.
Demolition fund running down faster than it refills
Council approved advancing a $110,000 demolition grant for a collapsing Darby Borough house — well over the usual $85,000 cap. But declining real estate transactions mean the Recorder of Deeds demolition fund is replenishing more slowly, with only about 14 such grants left in the roughly $1.4 million balance.
Workday implementation risk
The county's big shift from paper to electronic HR, finance, and grants systems needs help. Council will consider a Workday Success Plan contract (up to $300,000 annually for up to three years) plus supplemental consulting to keep the rollout on track.
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).
Darby Borough vacant structure demolition
A $110,000 grant from the demolition fund was proposed to tear down a vacant building at 939 Forrester Avenue in Darby — removing a potential blight and safety hazard.
County Road Conditions and Blight
A vacant, structurally dangerous building at 704 Pusey Avenue in Collingdale is coming down with a $75,000 county grant, including stabilization of the shared wall with the neighboring house.
Medical Examiner ARPA equipment purchase
With just over $1 million in leftover ARPA funds that must be spent by year's end — and construction on the new facility stalled — the county will buy forensic gear, including a $650,000 Rapid DNA machine, that it would have needed anyway for accreditation.
Workforce development update
Council celebrated the community college's new Southeast Center in Drexel Hill — a $14.25 million public investment turned the old Prendie high school into a campus for healthcare, trades, culinary and early-childhood career training.
Data Center Utility and Emergency Preparedness Concerns
A resident warned that a proposed light-industrial data center district half a mile from her home could bring thousands of industrial lithium batteries, threatening firefighter safety, the Crum Creek watershed that supplies drinking water to 68,000 people, and nearby schools via noise — and asked the county to use its countywide jurisdiction on fire readiness, hazardous waste and stormwater rules.
1724 Chester Courthouse rehabilitation
More than $215,000 from the Visit Delco collaboration fund goes toward restoring the nation's oldest public building in continuous use. Council wants the building programmed — tours, ceremonies, events — not just repaired.
Countywide housing study
A $100,000 state grant funds Phase 2 of the county's housing needs study, turning a mountain of data into usable findings and case studies that will guide housing policy.
Tax Claim Bureau Payment Plan Practices
Speakers revisited the case of Gloria Gaynor, whose home was sold over about $30,500 in unpaid property taxes, and asked council and state lawmakers to add redemption rights to Pennsylvania's municipal claim and tax lien law. One speaker confirmed her passing.
County Pension Cost-of-Living for Retirees
A retired Chester police detective asked whether county retirees — including county detectives excluded from a new state COLA law — could get a pension cost-of-living increase. Reuther said the pension is well-funded but any COLA raises the county's required contribution and must go through the pension board.
Chester City Investment
A $311,000 contract with BSS Contractors will rehabilitate the historic 1724 Chester Courthouse, paid for entirely by a National Park Service Semiquincentennial grant.
School safety demonstration projects
Quick-build street safety improvements near schools in Chester and Collingdale are done at two sites, with two more coming this fall, funded by a federal grant.
Glenolden District Court relocation lease
The county is leasing the old Antonucci automotive building on MacDade Boulevard for ten years to get Judge Burns back in his own district after three years of temporary space in Darby Township. Costs include about $347,000 in court-specific fit-out work paid over a decade.
ADA restroom upgrades at Government Center
After a successful ground-floor pilot, the county is spending $850,730 to design fixes for the remaining 15 restrooms identified in a Department of Justice ADA review.
Public Defender Office Performance
Public Defender Taylor Dunn reported the county jail population is down more than 50% since 2012, juvenile detention down over 90%, and crime down 35% — while his office handles 70% of criminal cases with an 82% staff retention rate.
Pro bono legal services funding for low-income residents
A $25,000 grant to promote the Bar Foundation's pro bono services squeaked through 4-1 after Councilwoman Phillips questioned whether the Bar Association actually provides pro bono help, noting no Form 990 filings since 2010 and a website frozen since 2022.
Fair Acres nurses' union contract extension
The PASNAP agreement covering employees at the county's Fair Acres Geriatric Center was extended through June 30, 2027, keeping labor peace at the county's nursing home.
Woodburn Mansion preservation at the new county park
A Darby Borough resident urged the county to preserve rather than demolish the 1906 Trumbauer-designed Woodburn mansion, citing its sound stone-and-steel structure and possible community uses; the Friends of Woodburn say the county has refused their offers to clear brush and the building is overgrown.
Health and human services contracts
Two contract amendments with Child Guidance Resource Centers, Inc. were on the agenda — one adding $1,239 for family-based mental health services and another increasing the value of a drug-and-alcohol case management agreement by up to $25,484.30, both extending services through mid-2027.
Central arraignment room utilization
Councilmember Phillips toured the Media arraignment facility and found it underused — arraignments happen by video, not in person. Council is committing to a year-long stakeholder effort to decide whether to bring people there physically, shrink the space, or rethink central booking entirely.
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.
Walk Roll Delco Active Transportation Plan
Planning Director Gina Burritt presented the results of the Greenways Finance Feasibility Study, which looks at how to fund the county's trail and greenway network.
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.
Wesley House Family Shelter Deficit
Chester's family shelter runs about a $300,000 annual deficit. Two agenda items aim to help: a new $300K state grant application and $76K for critical roof repairs.
Health Department update
Health Department Director Lora Werner gave council and the public an update on the department's operations.
Emergency Management Performance Grant Acceptance
The council was scheduled to accept a $142,700 federal grant passed through the state to support emergency management work in the county, including funds for the county's own emergency services and for municipal emergency management efforts.
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.
No county fleet management policy despite six years of vehicle buying
Council members are frustrated that the county keeps buying vehicles — like three $124,000 Dodge Durangos for investigators — without a written fleet management policy. A 2023 controller's audit recommended one, drafts have been circulating for two years, and members say they still can't get a clear picture of what the county owns, what it costs to repair, and what should be replaced.
Federal cuts to county workforce funding
Workforce development funds are being cut: the youth program dropped 21% and WIOA career services dropped 16%, driven by population-shift formulas at the state and federal level — even though Delaware County actually grew. Fewer dollars mean fewer training and job placement services for residents looking for work.
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.
TestandGo kiosk spending concerns
A speaker blasted the $100,000 renewal for the county's health kiosks, arguing the machines could be bought outright for far less and questioning who benefits from the rental arrangement funded by opioid settlement dollars.
Swarthmore Nine protest charges
Two speakers asked council to publicly support nine protesters facing trial June 29 for a 2025 pro-Palestinian demonstration at Swarthmore College, urging the DA to drop charges.
COSA services and funding outlook
The aging office serves thousands of older residents with a ~$14.4 million budget, but flags uncertainty from federal cuts, Medicaid assessment losses, and an earlier foster grandparent funding scare.
Courthouse and Government Center roof projects
Council approved a $2.5 million Government Center roof restoration plus smaller change orders for courthouse masonry, fire alarms, and jail security — funding sources include bond proceeds and contingency funds.
SEPTA Key Advantage employee transit pass renewal
Nearly 600 county employees use discounted SEPTA passes, which helps lower-paid workers at Fair Acres, eases parking, cuts emissions, and boosts SEPTA ridership. The catch: ARPA money is gone, so the county must find a permanent funding source.
LIHEAP Energy Assistance
The application window for heating-bill help ($200-$1,000 grants) was extended to May 8 — no need to be on other assistance or have unpaid bills to qualify.
Delco Gives Day sponsorship and DICGRA grant oversight
A running theme: council keeps being surprised by multiple applications for the same grants and unclear funding sources. Executive Director O'Malley said a new grants-compliance team met just that day to build a written grants process, answering a controller's report on grant management.
Sheriff's Office body-worn cameras
The Sheriff's Office would buy 31 body cameras from Axon for about $326,000 paid over five years, covering hardware, software and training, with an accredited use policy already in place. Council confirmed capital funds are appropriate since the county owns the gear at the end.
$2 million public EV charging stations
The county is signing a $2 million PennDOT agreement to build publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations at county and suitable sites — at least four chargers per location, paid by users, not free. Council members noted residents have been asking for more public chargers.
Immunization access funding boosted
The state bumped up the county's CDC immunization grant by $40,351.78, bringing it to $203,301 — money that pays staff working to keep residents' vaccinations on track.
Election equipment licensing
The county will spend $368,930 to keep licensing its Hart InterCivic voting machines, in place since 2020. Officials say the system has survived every hand-count audit and replacement isn't due for a few years.
Delaware River Vision Plan and microtransit study
Two planning efforts moved forward: a $500,000 federal application for a multi-municipal riverfront vision plan, and a DVRPC application to study microtransit for carless households in Chester. Vice Chair Reuther flagged the need for municipal buy-in on the riverfront plan.
Clayton Park dead trees and 2015 improvement agreement
A Concord Township resident says a dozen dead, dangerous trees at Clayton Park are marked but haven't been cut down, and asked whether a 2015 signed agreement for park improvements including a driving range is still binding.
Don Guanella park's future
Speakers repeatedly blasted council over the long-idle Don Guanella property in Marple, including lights left on. Vice Chair Reuther countered that the Little Flower park went undeveloped for ten years under prior ownership, while the county has built a walking path and parking at Don Guanella in under five years.
Medical assistance transportation funding
The county's ride program for Medical Assistance recipients goes out to bid every five years. Last time only one bid came in, and council members hear frequent complaints about the current provider — so they're pushing for broader outreach and better contract terms this time.
Sustainability Office progress and climate initiatives
The county's three-person sustainability office highlighted the Zero Waste Plan, tree canopy study, solar evaluation of county buildings before federal tax incentives expire, an Earth Day event April 18, and a free March 13 conference at Swarthmore.
Uncollected criminal fines
A resident said more than $20 million in criminal fines went uncollected in two years and pressed council to attach wages, offset returns, or order community service. Council explained that collecting fines is the courts' and DA's job, not council's.