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Home»Stormwater Authority Minutes»Stormwater Authority
01/05/23 Meeting Minutes

Stormwater Authority
01/05/23 Meeting Minutes

MINUTES

STORMWATER AUTHORITY LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP
REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 5, 2023
The following were in ATTENDANCE:
BOARD MEMBERS TOWNSHIP PERSONNEL
Timothy Johnson, Chairman Rebecca Davis, Public Works Director
Lloyd Bucher, Vice Chairman Steven P Miner, LATSA Solicitor
Alison J Shuler, Secretary Renee’ Greenawalt, Recording Secretary
Richard Schin, Treasurer Commissioner Joshua Nagy
Robert Edwards, Assistant Treasurer

Chairman Johnson called the January 5, 2023, Regular Meeting of the Lower Allen Township Stormwater Authority to order at 7:30 pm. He announced the meeting had been duly advertised for publication.

APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
Ms. SHULER moved to approve the minutes from the December 1, 2022, Regular Meeting, subject to a correction. Mr.  SCHIN seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Commissioner Nagy noted his intent to comment on items 6 B and C on the agenda regarding the Proposed Collections Resolution and Agreement.

SOLICITOR’S REPORT
Mr. Miner indicated he had nothing to report. He noted a new legislative session had begun and previous potential legislation under consideration would start over.

TREASURER’S REPORT
LATSA Financial Reports:
Mr. Schin stated the December 29, 2022, cash balance of the Fund was $2,870,889, a decrease of $543,130 since last month’s meeting.

Below is a summary report of Stormwater billing accounts deemed “Uncollectable” with total balances through 12/28/2022. These balances include past due principal amounts plus penalties through the current billing period (2023-Q1). Late penalties for 2022-Q4 are reflected in the figures.

Delinquent accounts

Property Owner Accts Balance
Commonwealth of PA 8 $8,085
PennDOT 4 $847,114
PA Turnpike 1 $102,990
PA Industrial School (SCI/Prison) 1 $303,345
TOTALS 14 $1,261,534

Mr. Schin noted no balance transfers for this period. Ms. Davis confirmed and noted the purchase of a min-excavator, which has decreased the balance.

Mr. SCHIN motioned to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Ms. SHULER seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0.

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR REPORT:
Credit and Appeals Monthly Report
Director Davis reported there was one additional credit approval issued, and no appeals since the last meeting. The credit is due to the retrofit of the Beacon Hill Basin. The project is completed and because of that, the basin as a bioretention facility meets the criteria of the credit policy to have the stormwater fee reduced by half.

Proposed Collections Resolution and Agreement
Director Davis introduced the item for discussion and/or action, reminding members of the discussion at the prior meeting. She reported that the Board of Commissioners approved moving forward to approve using Portnoff Law Associates as the collection agency for delinquent accounts. She added that Mr. Miner would continue to handle accounts that remain in arrears.

Commissioner Nagy expressed his thoughts on the decision to outsource the collection of delinquent accounts, noting his typical preference is to keep services in house, but acknowledged the burden it was creating on staff time and taxpayer resources to address a small percentage of the total accounts. He recognized the value and benefits of the recommendations made by the staff, which ultimately led to their adoption by the Board of Commissioners.

Director Davis noted the draft resolution proposed for action, would be updated to be numbered 2023-01, approving appointment of solicitor, interest assessment, and attorney fees and collection fees added to the amount collected as paid of unpaid municipal claims for delinquent accounts.

Mr. SCHIN made a motion to adopt RESOLUTION 2023-01, regarding delinquent collections. Ms. SHULER seconded. Ms. Shuler and Mr. Johnson thanked Ms. Davis and Commissioner Nagy for providing an update of the action taken by the Board of Commissioners. The motion carried 5-0.

Ms. SHULER made a motion to approve the agreement with Portnoff Law Associates for collection of delinquent municipal claims on behalf of the Authority. Mr. EDWARDS seconded. The motion carried 4-0 with one member not present.

Director Davis thanked the members for their consideration and support on the issue. She also said the Mr. Miner’s expertise is highly valued and appreciated, noting the staffing issue resulting in the action. Mr. Miner noted he would be assisting in the transition and recognized the issue was due to internal township resource limitations.

Bioretention Project Completion Update
Director Davis shared photographs of the completed Beacon Hill Basin & Sheepford Basin projects as part of an effort to keep the members updated on progress of the retrofit projects. She noted that both were grant awards and would be submitting for reimbursement to the Department of Environmental Protection and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS PERTINENT TO THE AUTHORITY:
Ms. Shuler asked if there had been any progress on the Gettysburg Road Corridor. Director Davis said the study was completed and published on the township but implementation of the recommendations had not yet begun. She noted she would provide the members with a copy of the recommendations.

ADJOURN:
The Regular Meeting of the Stormwater Authority adjourned at 8:00 p.m.