Township commissioners took the next step forward Monday night toward selling the sewer system.
With a unanimous vote, the board voted to approve the deal with PFM, once known as Public Finance Management, for the assessment of the system and to identify potential bidders.
Under the agreement approved, PFM will be paid $50,000, plus $1.5 percent of the sale price, but only if the system is ultimately sold.
"This is just looking at and evaluating," said Commissioners Chairman Trace Slinkerd. "If we go through this process and pull out, we don't pay anything."
Commissioner Elwood Taylor said he remains doubtful, especially considering that if the preliminary figures PFM showed the township are right, ratepayers won't save that much money, if any, and will have a sewer service provider less accountable than one run by elected officials.
"I am of the philosophical position that if the private sector can do it better, it ought to," said Commissioners Vice Chairman France Krazalkovich.
He said Upper Pottsgrove sewer rates have doubled in last 13 years, and one potential buyer has not raised rates in nine years. But Taylor noted that Krazalkovich picked 13 years because of the big increase 13 years ago and that for the last 12 years, sewer rates have been steady.
Commissioner Renee Spaide said rates went up 71 percent in 2007 and that more work on the system is needed, so rates will have to go up.
Slinkerd reminded everyone that in addition to paying off the debt, the proceeds of the sale could be used to repair township buildings as well as provide a cushion in the township budget.
But resident Keith Kehl pointed out that those in the township who are not hooked into the sewer system have not paid into it and therefore should not benefit from it's sale.
In the meantime, repairs and expansion of the system continues with the 3-2 vote to advertise for bids for the second phase of the Regal Oaks sewer project, which will hook up 26 homes within the Regal Oaks development and six more on the west side of Gilbertsville Road.
Commissioner Martin Schreiber and Krazalkovich both vote against the motion, with both questioning why more of the project is not using gravity as opposed to the grinder pumps it calls for in some homes.
Owners of those homes object to this aspect of the project as the pumps can break down and will need to be maintained and repaired.
The engineers for the project explained that running the line for gravity for all homes would involve many easements and increase the costs.
Taylor also noted that running the line down the street would require many homeowners to "reverse their plumbing," which had previously been oriented to go out the rear of their homes, thus saving them thousands.
Nevertheless, the project will involve tearing up portions of Rose Valley Road, which was just re-paved within the past three years.
Government at its finest folks.
This township amazes me every meeting. I would love to see their educational background and prior experience running and managing a local township. Have they not figured out that they push commercial business away in this township, a source of revenue that most municipalities love having. They wouldn't be in this financial rut. Look around at Royersford, Limerick...etc all thriving from commercial real estate. Each town just completed fresh overhauls of township facilities. Yet, upper pottsgrove township Building and police, public works building looks like something from the 1940's and we run out of money by Q2. They all need to be fired and replaced with experienced staffing. Well, at least they are consistent with run down roads, trees growing out of sewer grates, grinder pumps blowing up one after another. I'll be selling soon and moving out of this third world township. It's rapidly getting worse at the expense of their own residents.
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