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WILKES-BARRE — When the dust settled Monday and the debate stopped flowing, the first hurdle in the city’s plan to create a municipal sewer authority was cleared.
Despite vehement protest and a “no” vote from Councilman Tony George, members of council at a special session Monday morning at City Hall voted 4-1 to enter into a partnership with Cardno BCM, a wastewater engineering firm from Plymouth Meeting who will advise the city in forming the authority.
George, who during the July 9 meeting led council’s decision to table their vote and request clearer details of the plan, again took the offensive behind his belief that the city didn’t need a sewer authority to seek pass-through fees from neighboring communities.
“Why do we need to have an authority? Why can’t we do it ourselves,” asked George, who is the Democratic nominee for Wilkes-Barre mayor.
Joined by Cardno engineers Charles Barnes and David Kavitski, Infrastructure Group Manager John Devine explained to members of council that the city wouldn’t be able to do the job of a sewer authority, specifically in regards to jurisdiction.
“Obviously you have full power at work in the city, but to go outside the city and try to charge rates is going to be more problematic,” Devine said, noting that neighboring communities would likely respond with litigation.
A sewer authority would also be clear from the jurisdiction of state utilities regulator Public Utility Commission, Devine said.
Heated discussion
Throughout the explanation, dialogue at the meeting at times turned heated as George and Mayor Tom Leighton sparred over George’s repeated questioning of the city’s plan and Leighton’s belief that it was not difficult to grasp.
The city, Leighton argued, did not have experts on the payroll who were qualified to form the authority. In Cardno, Leighton said the city had an experienced partner that could perform the task correctly and in a timely manner.
“I just don’t understand what Mr. George doesn’t understand. This is not rocket science,” Leighton said.
After George again said the city could perform the same tasks an authority could, Leighton asked George to identify who at City Hall had the qualifications of Cardno.
“Who does this stuff now? We pay people to do it,” George said. “I’m not saying don’t hire them. I’m saying hire them without the authority.”
‘Wait and negotiate’
City-Wide Towing owner Bob Kadluboski, the lone member of the public to attend the meeting, said he didn’t see the purpose of rushing into a decision and asked members of council to seek out officials from neighboring communities before putting the plan in motion.
“These gentlemen didn’t come here for fun,” said Kadluboski, gesturing to the three Cardno officials. “They’ve come here to make a profit.”
“We should wait and negotiate,” he added.
In the coming weeks, Cardno and its legal representation will advise the city on the specifics of forming the authority and drafting its charter and bylaws. To retain the services of the Harrisburg-based attorney, the firm will be paid $12,000 from the city’s general fund.
Devine attributed the city’s issue to an influx of storm and sewer water sparked by a burst of development and compounded by the city’s antiquated sanitary system.
Cardno engineers believe the city spends approximately $500,000 to $700,000 per year on maintenance and repairs to the system.
“Our recommendation is to break out the responsibility, have an authority that handles storm water and sewer, and eventually work them into a position that they could look at pass-through fees,” he said.
“You asked for our recommendation. That is our recommendation,” he added.
$100K start-up
Devine estimated that it would take approximately $100,000 to get the authority started. The city could loan the money to the authority and recoup it by letting the authority collect the city’s sewer fee, which Devine said should net the authority approximately $150,000.
Councilman Bill Barrett said he didn’t see any problem with the agreement.
“I’m going to be very candid with you,” Barrett said. “It’s a good package It doesn’t cost us anything to have an authority.”
“And it insulates us from the PUC oversight,” added Councilwoman Maureen Lavelle.
Yet to be named, a five-member board will likely be appointed by Leighton, officials said.
