South Union Township Sewage Authority votes to disband
South Union Township Sewage Authority board members voted on Tuesday to dissolve the authority, cooperating with the township supervisors’ plan to consolidate the operations of the authority and township.
The authority will remain in force until midnight Dec. 31, officials said.
A certificate of the board’s decision will be sent to the secretary of the commonwealth’s office where it will be documented and then returned for the township to record, solicitor James Davis said.
Following the unanimous vote, board member Melvyn Sepic said he was proud of the accomplishments the authority has made in the 40 years he served on the board.
“This board has accomplished a lot of progress.” Sepic said.
The authority was nearly bankrupt at one point but now has $1.8 million in the bank, he said. A balance sheet showed an account balance of $1,889,592.
“I feel honored I’ve been able to serve on this board for 40 years,” Sepic said.
He said he hopes the supervisors continue the programs the authority started and can address some lingering problems.
Customers who pay their bills for the year in advance are charged for 11 months and get a month free, which equates to reducing the $20 monthly bill to $18.33, Sepic said, adding that 2,000 customers pay in advance.
The authority also has a hardship plan for people having difficulty paying their bills and a paid summer college internship program, he said.
Problems such as water infiltrating the sewage system as well as downspouts and French drains remaining illegally connected to the aging system, which was built in 1962, should be addressed, Sepic said.
Before the vote to disband, the board approved Christmas bonuses of 10 hours of pay at time and a half wages for the authority’s four employees. The bonuses are the same amount the township employees received, said Phil Mahoney, chairman of the authority.
The supervisors scheduled a special meeting for today to begin transitioning the authority’s operations to the township.
Contacted after the authority meeting, Robert Schiffbauer, chairman of the board of supervisors, thanked past and present authority board members.
“The board of supervisors would like to express their appreciation to the current and past members of the sewage authority who served and dedicated their time to make the township better,” Schiffbauer said. “The sewage system was the best thing that ever happened.”
He said the township’s strong growth in commercial and residential development would not have occurred without the system.
The township’s operations will be more efficient and streamlined with the consolidation, Schiffbauer said.
“It makes the township more efficient. It’s just a better way to function,” Schiffbauer said.
The authority is financially sound and the consolidation will not result in higher sewage rates or taxes, he said.
He said the action dissolving the authority will be sent to the state and the supervisors will have the authority’s accounts audited as a matter of protocol.