May 17, 2018 |  Malcolm Johnstone

West Chester PA — The West Chester Borough Council, at their meeting of May 17, 2018, discussed the cost of major events related to public safety occurring in downtown West Chester and reviewed details of the current cost structure. It broke the costs down to hourly rates for items such as police, fire, ambulance, and parking services.

While the provided information did not give a total cost figure for the major events — Christmas parade, Clydesdale Parade, Chili Cook-off, Halloween parade, Super Sunday, Restaurant Festival, and bicycle race series — it certainly suggested that fees for the events was below the actual costs. There are over 40 events a year, many of them runs used as fund-raisers.

After more than an hour of discussion, Council tabled any action until the affected organizations (Parks & Recreation, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and BID) could be advised of specifics as well as possible rate changes, which could be as much as double of what they are now.

West Chester Borough Council meeting agendas and minutes can be found at west-chester.com.