The lack of public sewer and water service has hindered development in Middlesex Township. Some residents are happy that development has been slow in coming; they would be content with continuing to use their private wells and on-lot sewage systems indefinitely. However, public systems are on the way, and stepped-up development is destined to follow.

To their credit, Middlesex officials are acknowledging the inevitability of development. The fact that a transportation impact fee ordinance is being planned shows that those officials are cognizant of potential pressures stemming from development and realize that the municipality will need a source of money - besides what is collected from township residents via the real estate tax - to respond to necessary roadway and intersection upgrades resulting from new homes and businesses.

The proposed impact fee would be paid by developers, although that cost presumably would be built into the prices that developers charge their business tenants or home- or land-buying customers. The money collected by the township would be deposited into a special fund to pay for the work deemed necessary.

While it might be January before the township has such an ordinance in effect, the township has the option of collecting impact fees while ordinance-preparation work is under way.

That is happening. Currently, the township is charging developers $1,000 for each household in a residential development, and the municipality already has collected $10,000.

Township officials should periodically compile a report - perhaps every six months - on how much in fees has been collected, how much has been spent and for what. The report also should include an up-to-date figure of how much in impact-fee money has not been spent and, of what money is on hand, how much is committed to specific work and how much remains uncommitted.

The Middlesex supervisors were right in ordering an impact-fee study before putting a completed ordinance proposal on the table for action. Likewise, township officials used good judgment in involving a seven-person advisory committee in the study. It is reasonable that township residents at this early stage have a resource in addition to the board of supervisors from which to obtain information about the fee and the justification for its implementation.

Cranberry Township is the only Butler County municipality to have enacted such an ordinance. Others are destined to follow as they are faced with developmental pressures significantly impacting general municipal revenues.

Middlesex should not become sidetracked from the preparation of its impact-fee ordinance. Years from now the ordinance will be regarded as an example of progressive thinking with its residents' tax-paying interests at heart.

- J.R.K.