Marple Officials Approve Amended Sewer, Well Rates

BROOMALL–At a public meeting on Monday evening, Board of Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the amended sewer rate for 2012.

The ordinance states:

For the year 2012, the rate shall be equal to five dollars and thirty-five cents ($5.35) per one thousand gallons of water consumed or estimated to be consumed by the occupants of any properties connected with the sewer system. For the year 2013, and thereafter, the annual rental or charge shall be determined and set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Commissioners.

In addition, residents in the township who use public sewers or wells, primarily in the seventh ward:

All residential property owners who use public sewer, sewage system or sewage treatment works of the Township of Marple and who use well water shall pay an annual rental or charge for the use of said sewers, sewage system or sewage treatment works. For the year 2012, the rate shall be $300. For the year 2013, and thereafter, the annual well rate or charge shall be determined and set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Commissioners.

A discussion to change the sewer rate from $5.15 to $5.35 for 2012 was discussed at an including the well rate, per the recommendation of Marple Township's Finance Director Ed O'Lone.

The well rate was also proposed to increase from $270 a year to $280 a year, but after a discussion the November budget meeting, commissioners agreed to increase the well rate, which affects about 200 homeowners primarily in the seventh ward, from $270 to $300.

Township Manager Anthony Hamaday said at a previous meeting that the Central Delaware County Authority (CDCA) system will now measure through a metering system and not a projection flow system which it has been doing.

"Eighty-five percent of that fee is a pass-through fee," said 5th Ward Commissioner John Longacre previously at the budget meeting. "We've always been metered and we've always maintained our system. Other communities have not been metered and not have maintained their system, and when they were doing proportional we were getting screwed. So now that they're going through a tighter system, our number should actually be helped."