LANCASTER TWP — Another community agreed Monday to continue with a joint effort to stem the tide of stormwater in Butler County’s southern tier.

The Lancaster Township supervisors approved the expenditure of $2,000 to help facilitate a push in the lower Connoquenessing watershed to fight flooding, but expressed some reservations about possible further efforts.

Each of 10 municipalities will contribute the $2,000 as they plan their next steps to address more than two dozen projects suggested by an engineering firm two years ago to keep flooding at bay. In addition to Lancaster, the group includes Adams, Cranberry, Forward, Jackson and Penn townships, as well as Evans City, Harmony, Seven Fields and Zelienople.

Lancaster engineer Tom Thompson said while Lancaster may not be the immediate beneficiary of participation in the group, it can still be a positive good for the township.

“The benefits of the program, ultimately, are to try to get grants for any stormwater improvements that are necessary, either for the township or (others) that may be downstream from the township that you could assist with, potentially with Harmony or ... Jackson, or any of those municipalities,” Thompson said.

Township manager C. Michael Foote said the county has expressed the Lower Connoquenessing Group could be a “model that the county would like to use” elsewhere: That is, communities affected by a common foe working together to rise above the tide.

“By being part of the group, I think, this is helpful for us to be working with those municipalities,” Foote said.

While supervisors approved the expenditure of $2,000 — which will be drawn from American Rescue Plan Act funds awarded to Lancaster — chairman Joe Plesniak expressed some reluctance to take some steps which have been discussed informally among the communities.

“The board has no interest in a stormwater impact fee,” Plesniak said. “This is just (to) put us in a position for grant funding. I don’t believe a stormwater impact fee is suitable for our township. I think it would be more of a detriment.”

A resolution passed by supervisors which authorizes the expenditure of funds also notes the board can terminate its participation in the group and delegates to the group only “the duty to advance inter-municipal collaboration to advance stormwater management within each of our watersheds.”

Plesniak on Monday also voted to cede his duty as chairman to current vice chairman Greg Kessler. Kessler will assume the position April 1, with Plesniak becoming vice chairman.

Kessler was elected to his first term as supervisor in November, succeeding former supervisor Kris Kniess, who opted not to run for re-election.