Menallen Twp. hikes fees
MENALLEN TWP. – The supervisors voted to raise annual streetlight and fire hydrant charges Thursday, citing rising water and electricity costs for the township. Effective Jan. 1 of next year, all residents will pay a flat rate of $29 per year for streetlights and $3 more each year than their current fee for fire hydrants.
“The expenditures are exceeding the receipts. We need to come up with a cost,” Supervisor John Yantko said at the regular meeting. “We have to raise light and hydrant charges.
“We looked at a lot of different ways and talked to neighboring townships. We try to be fair on the cost to everybody,” Yantko said.
The additional fees for fire hydrants will vary depending on location, while all residents will be charged the rates, no matter if a streetlight or fire hydrant is located outside their home.
“Everybody will be paying the same amount for the light charge no matter where the lights are at,” Yantko said. “Some bills will go down, but the majority will increase.”
Yantko realizes the financial stress residents are under, especially in times of increasing prices on just about everything, but voting for the additional charges was a move that had to be made, he said.
“I feel bad because of everything going on in the country and gas prices skyrocketing, but we have to do it,” said Yantko, noting he too will pay an additional $16 per year because of the both increases.
He said the township is seeing an increase in utilities the same as residents are seeing on their bills at home.
“The charge will go up by a few more dollars,” he said. “We’re only talking a raise of $3 per bill.”
Yantko said Waltersburg residents’ fire hydrant fee will increase from $10 to $13 per year, while New Salem residents will pay $19 instead of $16 each year. Those living along Route 40 will see their bills jump from $16 to $19, he said.
Explaining the reason for the increase, Yantko said the township could fall into a deficit if each funds’ revenue continues to decrease while utility costs have went up.
Yantko said the township had two options: to raise taxes or to raise increase the two charges.
“We would have to eliminate the fire hydrant charge to raise taxes, and that’s not what we decided to do,” Yantko said.
He said the budget ought to show a balance by the 2006 audit.
“We knew it was something we had to do,” Yantko said. “We’ve been working on this for a while.”
The balance in the funds has been decreasing for the last couple of years and it is not wise management to allow that to continue until the township is operating on a deficit, Yantko said.
Township solicitor Doug Sepic said the township is not profiting from the increase. He said the supervisors didn’t have a choice because it was a matter of law and want to balance the budget.
“To operate on a deficit is not legal, so the only other option was to raise taxes,” Sepic said.
Yantko said the township is in line with what two neighboring townships charge, and lower than a fee that another charges for the same service.
“We’re trying to hold the line on it,” said Yantko. “We tried to be fair with it to everybody.”
Supervisor Robert “Tweety” Yatsko said a gallon of gasoline is more expensive than the $29 fee would be per month, if the yearly charge were averaged that way.
Supervisor Joe Petrucci was absent from the meeting.
The supervisors also conducted the following business:
– Announced Balsinger, Poundstone, Denny roads and Jeffries Crossing will be paved by the end of September. Yantko said the gas companies that damaged the roads when drilling will pay for the repairs. Victor Paving was hired to perform the work, the supervisors said.
– Informed residents that a new salt/antiskid building will be constructed in which to store the winter materials. The building will keep the materials dry and allow material to work more efficiently come the winter months, Yantko said. Township workers will do most of the work to construct the building, he added.
– Asked that residents take responsibility for the sidewalk in front of their homes by cutting the grass and shoveling the snow from the walk in the winter.
– Warned residents that citations will be written for junk cars or high grass and those citations will result in fines.
– Scheduled fall cleanup week for the third week in October (Oct. 17-21) during regular garbage pickup. Yatsko also reminded residents that tires and batteries will not be accepted.
– Thanked the businesses and individuals who made the annual picnic held in August a great success.
– Reminded residents that burning is permitted only on Saturdays.