Sewer users in Clarks Green, Clarks Summit and South Abington Twp. will see higher sewer rates in 2013, though they won’t be the sky- rocketing bills some officials had predicted.
Members of the Abington Regional Wastewater Author- ity voted unanimously last week to approve the 2013 bud- get that calls for a $5.23 increase per equivalent dwelling unit in the monthly sewer bill, or a $15.69 increase quarterly to help pay costs associated with the estimat- ed $34 million project to upgrade the treatment plant.
Though none of the munic- ipalities has adopted their 2013 budget yet, officials said the increase will likely be add- ed to the existing sewer rates.
“Typically, the increase is tacked onto our bill pay- ments,” South Abington Twp. Manager David O’Neill said. “We’ll know more when we introduce our budget on Nov. 26.”
As a result of the increase, sewer users in South Abing- ton Twp. will likely see a sew- er bill of at least $135.69 a quarter, a 13 percent increase from this year’s rate.
Meanwhile, Clarks Sum- mit sewer users will likely pay at least $48.23 per month — a 12.3 percent jump — and Clarks Green sewer users will likely pay $46.23 a month, a 12.7 percent hike.
“We’re doing all we can to limit the rate from getting that high, but it’s hard to tell right now,” Clarks Summit Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said.
Construction on the multi- million-dollar project meant to bring the South Abington Twp. plant into compliance with a federal mandate is scheduledforApril.Theproj- ect needs to be completed by October 2015.
Board members voted Wednesday to advertise the project, signaling the end of the design phase.
They will hold a bid open- ing Jan. 6.
“We’re ready to move full steam ahead,” project engi- neer James Elliot of Gannett Fleming Inc. said last week.
According to the budget, the three municipalities’ combined quarterly obliga- tion to the authority is $774,355 — $117,000 more than
the 2012 quarterly obligation. The $3 million the authori- ty receives from the munici- palities will cover the author- ity’s estimated $2.9 million in expenditures, including $1.8 million in debt service, and will provide them with approximately $100,000 in
reserve funding. “Had we not secured the
Pennvest loan, the debt ser- vice would be much higher and so would the increase in sewer rates,” Executive Director Robert Davis said. “That loan was critical in keeping the rates from spiking.”
Approved by the Pennsyl- vania Infrastructure Invest- ment Authority on Oct. 23, the $9.7 million loan carries an interest rate of 1 percent for the first five years. The
interest rate for the remain- ing 15 years is 1.868 percent.
This year, included in their sewer bills, residents paid the authority $29.47 a month per equivalent dwelling unit. Next year, that figure will jumpto$34.70—stillonpace for the authority’s projected 2015 rate of $42.28.
“At the start, a lot of municipal officials ques- tioned us, saying that there would eventually be a huge jump,” Mr. Davis said. “So far, we’ve held true to our word.
“Hopefully, when we open the bids in January the proj- ect will cost less than the esti- mated $34 million. That will help sewer users even more.” Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter
Higher rates
An increase of $5.23 per unit per month — $15.69 per quar- ter — by the Abington Regional Wastewater Authority translates to:
■ Clarks Green: $46.23 per month, a 12.7% increase
■ Clarks Summit: $48.23 per month, a 12.3% increase
■ South Abington Twp.: $135.69 per quarter, a 13% increase.