Palmyra authorizes foreclosure actions on delinquent accounts and discusses raising lien threshold to one year of unpaid bills

Palmyra Borough Council authorized the borough solicitor to pursue writs of fi. fa. (fieri facias) to commence foreclosure proceedings against properties with delinquent sewer and refuse accounts, and council discussed changing the borough’s lien threshold to roughly one year of unpaid service charges. During the meeting the borough manager explained the current practice: staff typically places an additional lien after a delinquent balance reaches $500. Because quarterly sewer/refuse charges have risen, a $500 threshold now represents less than a year of unpaid service and a lien filing itself adds about $414.50 to the account balance. Manager and staff proposed adjusting the administrative threshold so the borough would consider filing liens when a property is approximately one year in arrears (the manager cited about $884 annual total at current quarterly rates). Councilors said they were sympathetic to residents who contact staff and make payment arrangements, and asked that a formal motion to change the borough’s internal policy be placed on the next meeting agenda for a vote. Council moved and approved the solicitor action to begin foreclosure proceedings for properties on the delinquent list; in parallel staff said they will work with residents who contact the borough and will bring a formal lien‑threshold proposal back to council for an official vote.