Thursday, January 17, 2008

Edgewater Park Sewerage Authority To Be Evicted from Municipal Building

The Edgewater Park Sewerage Authority Administrator and Board Members, received a letter today, January 17, 2008, from the Township Administrator Linda Dougherty, telling the Authority to vacate the Municipal Building by August 1, 2008. The letter stated the Township is renovating the building and they need additional office space.

This action will require the EPSA to find new office space that will cost more and will increase the sewer rates. 

The sewer taxpayers will now be inconvenienced by having to go to different locations to pay their property tax and their sewer tax.
 
What makes this action so interesting is that over the past two years, the Township Committee has criticized the EPSA for their operating hours, stating that because they are only open three days a week they cannot service the residents conveniently. If the Township is so concerned about the servicing of the residents then why would they want to not only inconvenient the residents but aide in the increase of the sewer tax, that this step would facilitate.

This eviction letter and plan was a complete surprise to the EPSA Administrator and some of the authority board members . The Township Administrator and Township Committee never communicated that they needed to take this action prior to this, nor was this action discussed at a public meeting.

What make this action and lack of communication even more interesting, is that one member of the sewer authority board is Jim Daly, a township committeeman. Board member Jim Hall is the husband of the Mayor, Judy Hall and Board member Darren Atzert is the brother of committeewoman Donna Atzert.

To be continued.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I understand that the township committee is looking to disband the Sewerage Authority and create a new sewer department with a paid full time director who will report to the Township Administrator. The township would collect the surplus sewerage authority funds(money set aside for system repair and capital inprovments)and use it to hide the large spending increases to our municipal budget and property taxes.
Be prepaired for one of the township committee members to get the director's job. see www.phillyburbs.com//pb-dyn/news/112-11012007-1433543.html for an article on Willingboro's Township Committee and MUA. Our town seems to be going down the same road as Willingboro Township. Our township committee hired the old Willingboro Solicitor, William Kearns, Pushed to have the Willingboro MUA replace the the EPSA's Operator, who was a township resident, and appointed Alaimo Associates as the EPSA Engineer. Alaimo is also the Engineer for the Willingboro MUA.
Do we want our town run like Willingboro Township?