Center Township opposing BASA sale
CENTER TWP — Supervisors voted to appeal the sale of Butler Area Sewer Authority to Pennsylvania American Water at a special meeting Tuesday, Dec. 12, and supervisors on opposite sides of the 3-2 vote shared their perspectives at a meeting Wednesday.
The township previously voted to object to the sale in April, but pulled out after a settlement agreement led another objector, the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, to drop its objection.
The township had a memorandum of understanding with Summit Township to object to the sale together, and the two townships share a solicitor in Michael Gallagher.
Gallagher said the two townships will continue to split the cost of legal fees for appealing the sale.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved the $230 million sale of BASA to the company in November, but the two townships will appeal the decision before the deadline of Monday, Gallagher said. The townships’ administrators oppose the sale because a portion of BASA customers live in Summit and Center townships, but the two municipalities won’t receive any of the purchasing money from Pennsylvania American Water.
The Center Township supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to appeal the sale, with supervisors Don Pringle, Phil Wulff and chairman Bob Sloan voting to appeal and supervisors Ed Latuska and Alan Smallwood voting against appealing. The two Summit Township supervisors present at the township’s Dec. 6 meeting, Willie Adams and Richard Green, approved Summit’s objection.
Latuska said Wednesday he would like to see the sale of BASA halted, but the legal fees are too costly for the risk of the sale actually being stopped.
“The reason I voted no is because when we first heard about that vote, our solicitor told us that vote was greatly influenced by political pressure from Harrisburg,” he said. “That pressure isn’t gone. And I’m not a betting man, but I have to have better odds when it's going to cost our taxpayers between $50,000 and $100,000.”
Pringle said Wednesday that he has been the lead in actions attempting to block the sale, and has testified in efforts to stop the sale. He said that while the township could accumulate around $40,000 in legal fees, the cost would be worth it if the sale is blocked.
“We believed as the township officials that voted for (the appeal) that it was a good use of township money to save our residents — that’s what we got elected for,” Pringle said. “I believe as a township official we were elected to make sure we protect your pocketbook and do what’s best for our community, and that’s what we’re doing.”
A statement from Ceisler Media on behalf of the BASA board of directors said the agency will respond to appeals regarding the sale appropriately, and the sale has benefits for the community, ratepayers, the environment and protections for BASA employees.
“We are confident these merits will withstand any challenge,” the statement said.
The supervisors also approved the 2024 budget at the Wednesday meeting, which allocates a projected $2.2 million to its general fund. The budget is balanced without a tax increase in the township, and property tax will remain at 3.55 mills.
The 2023 budget has about $1.8 million in expenditures. Some of the largest increases in costs in the 2024 budget are public works, which increased about $140,000; snow and ice removal, which increased about $50,000; general services, which increased about $40,000; and personnel, which increased about $30,000. Public works accounts for 30% of the 2024 budget.
Costs that fell include legal fees, engineering fees, traffic signals and signs, and miscellaneous expenses.
Earned income tax accounts for 52% of Center Township’s revenue, followed by real estate transfer taxes accounting for 14% and real estate tax accounting for 12%.
According to the 2024 budget message, the budget “struggles in response to the needs of the community” and external pressures faced by individuals and businesses. It also lists major financial accomplishments in 2023 as the purchase of a John Deere cab tractor and paving eight roads.
