Politics & Government
Plymouth Township Owes $500k to Conshy Sewer Authority, Officials Say
Overdue bills put burden on Conshohocken taxpayers.
Plymouth Township owes approximately half a million dollars to the Conshohocken Sewer Authority for the use of its sewer systems, and the overdue funds are placing a burden on Conshocken residents.
That's according to Conshohocken Borough officials, who discussed the matter in a joint session with the sewer authority earlier this month before publicly disclosing their position during the monthly council meeting.
"[Council] is concerned that… West Conshohocken and Plymouth Township owe our sewer authority," said council president Paul McConnell. "Hopefully they'll pay what they rightfully owe us."
According to McConnell, West Conshohocken owed approximately $700,000 to the authority, but paid "a big chunk" of the amount the day after Conshohocken held its joint meeting with the authority on May 10. He was unsure if the timing was a result of the meeting, or whether it was coincidental.
However, Plymouth Township still owed approximately $500,000 as of May 17, and Borough officials with whom Patch spoke to late last week said that Plymouth had not yet paid, to their knowledge. A message left with Plymouth Township Manager Karen Weiss on May 24 for comment has not been returned.
The sewer authority, officially titled the Borough of Conshocken Authority, is an independent entity whose directors are appointed by Borough council. While the authority issues utility bills directly to Conshohocken residents, it collects money from Plymouth and West Conshocken municipalities in block amounts, leaving those municipalities to individually charge their own residents who use the systems.
Patch left multiple messages with the authority to determine exactly how much was owed and how long overdue the payments were, but has not received any return calls.
Whatever the exact amount, Borough officials say that it places an extra burden on Conshocken taxpayers. When the authority needs to make capital improvements to its systems, it has the same two options as most other agencies: use available funds or take out loans.
And if there's $500,000 missing from available funds, that's $500,000 that needs to be taken out in loans -- with the residents footing the interest, officials say.
"We know very well that [Plymouth] is aware of that debt," said McConnell, "which really means it's a debt to our taxpayers."
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