Lower Burrell to crack down on sewage bill scofflaws

While most Lower Burrell residents pay their sewage and recycling bills, owners of homes with wells and vacant homes in the city have delinquent bills totaling almost $172,500.

City council intends to do something about that. It is preparing to pass an ordinance that will allow the city to put a lien on the properties of residents with delinquent sewage and recycling bills who refuse to pay.

City council is hiring an attorney, Portnoff Law Associates of King of Prussia. The firm can apply more backbone to collect, said city treasurer Brian Eshbaugh.

“We’re not looking to take anyone’s home,” Eshbaugh said. But the city is looking to at least get its money when a home is sold.

The city doesn’t pay the law firm for its services, the debtors do, said Councilman Chris Fabry. Debtors are charged a fee on a sliding scale based on the number of collection notices and attempts, he said.

Like many municipalities, Lower Burrell residents relying on public water can’t forgo paying their sewage bills for too long before their water is shut off.

But residents on wells, representing a small portion of the city, can continue living in their homes with their water services uninterrupted, city officials said.

Roughly one-third of the delinquent bills are from residents using wells. Some of the bills have been lingering for years, with one residential bill as high as $9,000, he said.

Most of the outstanding sewage accounts are for vacant homes. While the taxes on many homes are paid, the sewage bills aren’t, Eshbaugh said.

Vacant homeowners don’t pay a sewage usage fee. However, owners of vacant homes must still pay a flat sewage fee, typically $114 per quarter, which pays for a bond issue for the city’s sewage lines, according to city officials.

The backlog of delinquent recycling bills is about $5,300, Eshbaugh said.

The ordinance couldn’t come at a better time, Fabry said. The $172,500 of outstanding delinquent sewage bills is comparable to one mill of taxes, he said.

“The collection of those delinquent bills could offset a tax increase,” Fabry said.

“With budget season here and myself and the rest of council being committed to not increasing taxes,” he said, “this is a big help.”

Council is expected to vote on the final passage of the ordinance next month.