Lancaster Township supervisors Monday expressed hesitancy to join a possible regional authority to address stormwater issues in southwestern Butler County, but indicated they would contribute funds to study how best to mitigate flooding in the lower Connoquenessing Creek watershed.

During an agenda preparation meeting Monday, the board of supervisors debated — but did not vote on — whether to contribute $2,000 to fund a study with nine other municipalities and Butler County looking at how best to approach stormwater issues from a regional perspective.

Joe Plesniak, board chairman, said he didn’t know if paying for the study now would lead future township officials to authorize an authority or charge a stormwater fee.

"I just keep on thinking about, (if) you open the door, what it could end up being. Like I stated before, we have elected positions, and these change,“ Plesniak said. ”And even though we have a pretty good consensus on what we think about this with the facts that we have now, six years from now the people that are in (as supervisors) might feel differently."

Regional authority

The idea of a regional authority had been floated during meetings between Lancaster and nine other municipalities in Butler County’s southwest tier as a possibility of how to formally approach flooding in the lower Connoquenessing watershed, according to township engineer Tom Thompson.

Those 10 municipalities received a study in 2021 focusing on hot spots for flooding and recommending changes. In addition to Lancaster, Adams, Cranberry, Forward, Jackson and Penn townships, as well as Evans City, Harmony, Seven Fields and Zelienople boroughs, are involved.

Authorities, under Pennsylvania law, have the ability — as do townships — to charge fees. In Cranberry Township, for instance, residents are charged a stormwater fee of $6 per month, while commercial properties are charged more, Thompson said.

“They wanted to consider a study to see whether or not that would be worthwhile to pursue, if everybody was involved or not involved,” Thompson said. “They’re asking for a $2,000 contribution from each municipality to ... kick that study off, to determine what the next steps would be, if that was viable or not viable.”

Initially reluctant

While Harmony approved a contribution on Feb. 1, Lancaster supervisors initially expressed a reluctance to commit similar funds.

Supervisor Tim Zinkham said he didn’t agree with the idea of a stormwater fee for residents, but added it may be appropriate in the future. Zinkham said, however, paying for a study would not commit the township to any further steps.

“Doing the study and getting an understanding doesn’t mean we’re joining and going to impose a stormwater tax,” he said. “It gives us the ability to understand more and figure out that course moving forward. ... No risk, no obligation.”

Vice chairman Greg Kessler asked Thompson whether the $6 fee would increase for residents, such as farmers, who have large tracts of land. Thompson said the fee is based on the amount of impervious surface on a property, not simply the size of a property.

“I think this is one area we have to do our homework, our due diligence, if you will, and tread lightly,” Kessler said.

Despite the hesitance to take further steps, the supervisors appeared to agree they would fund the study, although no voting will occur until the board’s Feb. 21 meeting.

“We’re just doing our due diligence,” Plesniak said. “This is not even a first step. It’s a partial step. We just want to have a better understanding.”