White to Cecil: Payment Plan Needed for Sewage Projects

told the supervisors last month that several upset residents had been to his office with tales of sewage woes and they all had a common theme:

He then made a request: That they ask each sitting member of the muncipal authority to commit to a payment plan policy—and that supervisors “carefully consider” an appointment to that board, asking any potential candidates to “agree in writing to support a clear and equitable tap-in payment plan option for any future projects.”

If they don’t?

“I want to make it crystal clear well in advance that if any future project does not have a clear, concise and comprehensive tap-in payment plan available to customers in the beginning, not only will I not support the plan, but I will do everything in my power to actively oppose it in order to prevent history from repeating itself,” White stated in a letter addressed to the board. “I am not trying to make trouble or block progress for Cecil Township. I wouldn’t trade my hometown for anything, and I have full faith that the board of supervisors has the best interests of the people at heart. But if the municipal authority refuses to do (its) job in a way that looks out for the people of Cecil Township, then I have no choice but to do so as their elected respresentative.”

The letter then continued: “I have been left with no other option.”

Some residents in the Fleeher Plan received letters in the mail late last year from the Cecil Township Muncipal Authority alerting them that their homes would be liened unless they paid the outstanding balance on a $1,600 tap-in fee.

White called that "unconscionable."

"A lien has a severely negative impact on a person's credit rating, which has long-term and far-reaching impact. Second, according to a letter, a minimum of $260 in legal fees per lien is being assessed," he wrote. "As a practicing attorney myself, I'm not sure how it takes two hours at $130 per hour to file a lien, especially since they will all presumably be filed at once. Along those lines, will the authority solicitor bill the authority for the time spent preparing the lines? Finally, the resident will likely hire an attorney at their own expense to ensure the lien is recorded as satisfied once it is paid off."

And he said the authority's answer to residents and media inquiries—that there is no other choice but to file a lien, and that a payment plan would be too labor intensive— just "does not pass the smell test."

"How can a municipal authority claim to be competent enough to handle the mathematical logistics of a $20 million sewage project yet throw up their hands at a task that could easily be handled by QuickBooks or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet? It makes no sense whatsoever," White wrote. "Instead of doing the right thing by the people of Cecil Township, the municipal authority is doing the exact opposite, placing a signficant burden on those who can afford it the least."

Although Stephanie Lucchino was reappointed to the municipal authority board with no discussion at the supervisor’s reorganization meeting last week, Cecil Township Manager Don Gennuso said his board just hasn’t gotten a chance to take “the next step” in the process.

He said, though, that the supervisors have informally reached out to the municipal authority board, and intend to follow up with formal correspondence.

“The board listened and seemed to agree with Representative White’s concerns,” he said.

Municipal authority Manager Dennis Bell said that while he had not seen the letter from White, the issue of payment plans will be a discussion item on the board's meeting agenda next week.

Reached Tuesday afternoon, White said that was a first step.

"I'm encouraged that they are finally talking about this—three years after I first mentioned it to them," he said. "I'm hopeful we can finally get this done."

But he added: "Promises are no longer sufficient. It's time for action."

Editor's Note: White's entire letter is attached.

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