The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors has appointed seven people to a new stormwater management advisory committee which will study a potential fee for residents to fund improvements to the municipality’s antiquated system.
Similar fees have hovered around $100 per year and are based on a property’s impervious coverage, township officials have said.
Planning Commission member Peter Tantala and Environmental Advisory Council member Andrew McAloon were among the seven appointees, who were all approved unanimously at the board’s July 8 meeting. The other members are Robert Feather, Joseph Fitch, Joseph Leming, James Simpson and Rachel Zobel.
The supervisors said in May the panel is needed to address what they said is the top concern when it comes to residents’ complaints.
“Our township was developed before modern stormwater systems,” explained Township Manager Stephanie Teoli Kuhls. She said an ideal timeline would see the board make recommendations in time for the next budget.
Township Solicitor Jim Esposito previously explained that many communities have instituted such a fee, with an annual price of $100 to $120 per resident.
Warminster is believed to be the only municipality in Bucks County with such a fee, according to Evan Stone, executive director of the Bucks County Planning Commission. The average resident there pays about $120 a year, according to Dalton George, of the Warminster Municipal Authority.
Teoli Kuhls has said Middletown spends between $500,000 and $1 million a year to address stormwater drainage problems. The state has estimated the township should spend $8 million over the next five years, she added.
With about 17,000 homes in Middletown, the township could raise $1.7 million a year just from homeowners if it were to institute an average fee of $100.
In other business July 8, Teoli Kuhls assured residents that Waste Management does not plan to fire employees should the township decide to move from manual to automated trash collection. She said the company needs more workers.
The supervisors are expected next month to approve a new five-year contract with Waste Management, its current provider and the lowest-cost alternative among three submitted bids.
Township officials have explained that residents would pay as much as 75% more if they want to continue getting their trash picked up manually twice a week.
A move to once-a-week pickup with automated trucks would render a hike of 19% to 28%.
Residents of single-family homes currently pay $401 annually. To maintain the existing level of service — twice a week manual collection — residents would pay between $682 and $700 per year. That represents an increase of 70% to 75%.
If the township were to choose twice-a-week collection with automated trucks, residents would pay between $644 and $660 per year, an increase of 60% to 65% increase.
Once a week automated collection would mean an annual household fee of $476 to $512, which is a 19% to 28% hike.
Teoli Kuhls has explained that the cost of collection has increased dramatically as a result of several factors, including the recycling market, equipment costs and staffing.
Four residents testified July 8 that they would like to maintain the current level of service and the manual procedure.
Assistant Township Manager Nick Valla subsequently said there has been no majority opinion from residents who have responded to a township survey. That survey will remain on the township website, middletownbucks.org, until the end of the month.
“We’ve heard from many residents who want to keep costs down and want changes in service, as well as many who wish to keep things as is,” he said.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
