Charleroi hears pitch to sell water authority

By Taylor Brown
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Charleroi borough may have a multi-million dollar decision to make in 2019: To sell or not to sell the Authority of the Borough of Charleroi.
Last month, Councilman Larry Celaschi suggested the idea of selling the authority. He pointed out the City of McKeesport sold its authority and became more financially stable as a result.
The City of McKeesport finalized the sale of the Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport to Pennsylvania American Water Co. in December 2017 for $159 million, netting approximately $40 million for the city.
During Charleroi council’s first meeting of 2019 last night, Pennsylvania American Water representatives discussed legislation passed to allow the acquisition of McKeesport’s sewage facility, how the transaction worked and why it could be beneficial to the borough.
Dan Bickerton, director of business development for the company, explained the acquisition was completed under Pennsylvania’s Act 12 of 2016, which permits municipalities to sell water and wastewater facilities for a price based on fair market value.
Since the legislation was passed in 2016, Bickerton said he has been presenting similar options across many struggling western Pennsylvania communities.

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Thursday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.