Elizabeth Township OKs sewage rate increases

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

Elizabeth Township residents will see sewage rates increase by nearly $20 over the next two years.

Commissioners met in a special session Tuesday evening to consider the rate schedule for the next 20 years as required under the terms of a low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVEST.)

Township engineer John Mowry of KLH Engineering explained that while the project has been going on for the past 13 years, the need to adopt a rate schedule to provide 110% of the debt service coverage was just recently brought to his attention as a requirement for today’s scheduled loan closing.

“They want this rate resolution that they kind of sprang on us,” Mowry said.

It’s not that the township hasn’t been aware of a need for rate increases. Mowry said the issue came up as early as 2008 when the township entered a consent agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection. 

“In 2008, there was a rate increase and the minimum was set at $42, but that money went to bond issues,” said Commissioner Kyle Walk.

Rates were supposed to be increased gradually over the past 13 years, but that didn’t happen after the first increase, Mowry explained.

“It appears there were proposed rate increases way back when that were never adopted,” he said. “Rates should have been raised way back and it would have reduced some of the sting.”

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