On Monday, Foster Township offered numbers to residents who approached them in September regarding the sewer budget.
Multiple residents attended last month’s meeting with concerns regarding the price of sewer service as compared to how much the township had in its sewer fund.
“People tend to write a lot of stuff on the internet,” said Supervisor Chairman George Hocker. “I’m not going to entertain it; I’m not going to care about it.”
He said he is open to talk to people who bring up issues to the supervisors directly at the public meetings, as the internet is not a good source for information. “You can type lies. You can type truth.”
Hocker explained that the proposed budget is just that — proposed — and supervisors don’t have clearer numbers until the end of the year.
According to the Hocker, the total amount to be paid to the Bradford Sanitary Authority in 2017 is $383,637.83, not the $314,000 that had been quoted in the proposed budget. The total of 2017 sewer funds for the township will be $408,909.85 once the last quarter is over.
The most recent rate increases to township customers was $24 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) to $30 per EDU in 2010, then $30 per EDU to $45 per EDU in 2013.
The Bradford Sanitary Authority, which collects sewage from all over the Tuna Valley, is undergoing a multimillion-dollar upgrade, which has caused the cost of the service to go up.
As of Monday, the balance of the sewer fund was $2,128,636.62, Hocker said, but upcoming expenses for projects will soon take the balance below $2 million.
Hocker indicated the money will be used for repairs in the collection system, explaining that township officials had completed a long-range report on sewer work.
“We have some lines that need some major work,” said Hocker.
Regarding a suggestion last month that the township pay off a PENNVEST loan early, Hocker explained Monday that a PENNVEST loan does not work like a typical loan. Paying it off early would only shorten the length of time the township is paying it back, but not the total amount that it pays back. Also, the township would need to get approval from PENNVEST before it could make early payments.
Finally, addressing concerns that “police figures” were not readily available at a budget meeting last November, Hocker said the numbers were included as part of the safety budget, and he simply did not have the break-down at the moment when it came up.
Also on Monday, township resident Tom Perry asked about Foster Township Police patrolling the area of U.S. Route 219. He said that while he believes the department does a good job, “I don’t see any reason they should be on that expressway.”
He felt patrolling Route 219 should be left to the state police.
Hocker said, “We’re vigilantly patrolling all over the township” and noted that they even bring in the state police to help in those efforts. He added that years ago he said, “I’m not going to make any one street more important than any other street, and I’m not going to make any resident more important than any other resident.”
Foster Township Police Chief Tom Munn added that he looked up statistics for accidents in Foster Township going back to January 2015 through the present.
In that time, there were 10 accidents on Route 219 in the township, six of which were reportable, meaning someone was injured or a vehicle had to be towed from the scene. Meanwhile, there were three accidents on Seaward Avenue during that time — all of which were non-reportable.
“The statistics show that every time you move the speed up, more serious accidents happen,” said Munn.
The only other resident to bring up a topic during the public discussion portion was Jim Krise.
Krise explained that his elderly parents, who live on Pratt Hollow, are “tired of looking” at an empty trailer that’s been parked across the street from them for decades.
“I’m sure that’s on our blight list already, but we’ll run that by code enforcement,” said Supervisor Dale Phillips.
Officials indicated during the meeting that they will be talking about amended blight regulations at a meeting later in the year.
Supervisors also approved a motion regarding easements and partial releases of rights of way for the installation of a sewer line at the site where Aldi is being constructed at the Bradford Mall, property owned by MBC Properties.
They approved a motion to purchase two computers for patrol vehicles for $2,035.68, minus a $750 donation they received from the Vets Club.
Officials explained during the meeting that the computers will give police officers the ability to check a vehicle’s registration status, since registration stickers are no longer issued in Pennsylvania.
The service will cost $40 per computer per month, according to Munn.
Phillips said after the meeting, “It’s really nice to get some organizations that step up to help us out,” he said of the donation from the veterans. He noted that the Eagles Club also gave the township a donation last year.
Hocker announced that Halloween trick-or-treating will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 in the township.
