Authority hires employee to run plant
REDSTONE TWP. – The Redstone Township Sewer Authority Monday voted to hire a part-time employee to run the plant, but not without a bit of controversy. Authority member Robert Shaw said that while he wasn’t against hiring an employee, he felt that the job should be advertised and candidates interviewed.
Solicitor Jack Purcell said that legally it is up to the board whether or not to advertise positions, but advertising is not required by law for the authority.
Richard Brosky made two motions, one to have the current contractor explain to the authority why work is not being done and the second to advertise the part-time operator’s position. No call was made for a second to either motion.
A motion by Ray Paris to hire Tom Barton as a part-time plant operator passed on a 4-1 vote, with Brosky voting against the motion.
Chairman Dwayne Thomas said hiring Barton will save the authority about $300 a month, though it will need to rent equipment to conduct the weekly composite sampling at the plant, at a cost of $50 a week, so the savings are negligible.
Authority member Richard Stogran, who works at the Belle Vernon treatment plant, noted that even a new plant needs routine maintenance and that having a worker onsite is essential to continued operations at the treatment plant.
In other matters, Thomas said the 17 percent delinquency rate is really only a nine percent delinquency, with the rest simply late on their payments. Those who are late must be included in the delinquency calculation according to Rural Utility Services, which financed the construction of the sewerage system.
Thomas said 97 percent of residents are currently tapped in, with 28 homes not tapped into the system as required. The authority is in the process of placing liens against those properties, which owe the tap-in fees and more than $500 in monthly bills. They will also be assessed attorney’s fees for having the lien placed.