MARS — Borough council deliberated at its meeting Monday, May 20, on whether to increase the fee residents have to pay to have their water turned back on after disconnections for nonpayment.

While no action was taken, Mayor Gregg Hartung believes action could be taken at the next meeting on June 3.

The proposal considered was to charge residents $20 for posting notices of potential water shut-off at each residence, another $40 for shutting the water off, and $40 to turn the water back on.

Currently, the borough charges residents $20 for shutting off water and $25 for turning it back on and does not charge for posting notices of shut-off.

“It typically results in a total of $50 being added to an account when someone’s water is shut off and then turned back on when they pay,” borough secretary Bonnie Forsythe said.

Hartung said the borough’s public works department is spending more than it is making when it shuts off water from delinquent residents.

“It’s cost us more to actually do the shut-offs, so we’re trying to play catch-up in terms of updating things to where they need to be for today,” Hartung said.

For reference, the equivalent fees in the Breakneck Creek Regional Authority’s region are $50 each for service termination notices and shut-offs, along with “additional fees imposed by water service providers to terminate and restore service.”