Sewer Bill to Increase for Lawrence Property Owners

In a Lawrence Township council meeting that was dominated by a lively discussion about the merits of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail passing through the Rosedale Acres residential neighborhood, along with budget presentations by the heads of the township health, recreation and police departments, it was announced that township residents are going to be paying more this year for sewer services.

Separate stories about the Lawrence Hopewell Trail debate and the budget presentations that took place at the council meeting on Tuesday night (March 15) will appear on Lawrenceville Patch later this week.

At Tuesday’s meeting an ordinance was introduced that would increase the fee charged to property owners for sewer services from $3.85 to $3.94 per 100 cubic feet of water used.

It is estimated that the increase will add $12.78 per year to the average Lawrence Township residential sewer bill.

Under the ordinance – which will be voted on by council members at their next meeting on April 5 – the same fee increase to $3.94 per 100 cubic feet used will be applied to residential and commercial properties, such as motels, that do not have metered sewer or water connections.

Based on an estimated annual consumption of 14,200 cubic feet, an unmetered residential property will pay $559.48 per year for sewer service under the new rate – an increase of $7.14. Unmetered motels and hotels, meanwhile, will pay $254.13 per room – up $5.21 – based on an estimated annual consumption of 6,450 cubic feet of water per room.

Township Manager Richard Krawczun explained that the fee increase is needed because Lawrence Township’s annual bill from the Ewing-Lawrence Sewerage Authority (ELSA) is going up from $4,471,238 to $4,566,000.

Krawczun said the fee increase is expected to generate $94,857 in revenue for the township which will, in turn, be used to offset the $94,762 increase imposed on the township by ELSA.

“The ordinance envisions a rate increase of 9 cents that will generate almost an equal amount of revenue as our bill is going up,” Krawczun told council.

Copies of the proposed ordinance and a data sheet regarding Lawrence Township sewer usage expenses can be viewed in the PDF box above. Also available for viewing are the agenda for the March 15 council meeting and a memo issued by the township manager about the meeting.