Thomson Township: Shared road hearing delayed, sewer rates go up

After tentatively scheduling a date for a follow-up public hearing on the proposed private road and private shared driveway ordinances at their first February meeting, the Thomson Township board of supervisors decided to take the date off the calendar and select a later date.

On Feb. 2, township attorney David Pritchett urged the board to select a date to push the project along due to the large public engagement. At the time, the board selected March 9 for the follow-up hearing.

However, at the township board meeting Thursday, Feb. 16, the board decided to take this date off the calendar and hold off on the hearing for now. Township clerk Rhonda Peleski cited the upcoming annual town meeting (at 7 p.m. March 14) and a shortage of staff in the township’s office as reasons to delay the meeting.

The board has not selected a firm date for the follow-up hearing, but board members suggested it might be sometime in early April.

Sewer rates increase

In other business, the board held a public hearing on the proposed sewer rate increase, an amendment to the township’s ordinance No. 31, prior to the regular meeting Feb. 16.

There were no public comments at the public hearing. The board voted to approve the sewer rate increase as proposed by the township’s engineer, Joe Jurewicz.

The township’s sewer rates for one-family dwellings will go up from $35 to $40 for 2023, $45 in 2024, and $50 in 2025.

Other sewer rate increases include the following:

• Multi-family dwelling: from $35 to $40 per unit

• One-family dwelling used for sheltered care, group home living: from $45 to $51

• Small Commercial: from $42.50 to $49

• Large Commercial: from $75 to $100 (dependent on size) to $86 to $150

• School, including former RAM building: from $930 to $1,200

Thomson Township has not increased sewer rates since 2009, when they were increased from $25 to $35.

This has become an issue for the township due to inflation and the cost of maintaining the township’s aging sewer system. The board wants to ensure there are enough leftover funds to cover maintenance of the sewage system itself when issues arise. The board will continue to revisit sewer rates in the future to avoid large increases, it said.

The board meets regularly at

5 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month. The annual town meeting is set for 7 p.m. March 14.