Council hears update on delinquent sewer and refuse accounts; manufactured-home lots complicate collections

Palmyra Borough Council received a report that most delinquent sewer and refuse debt is concentrated in a small number of accounts, and that collection is complicated by the ownership structure of several manufactured-home lots in the Shadowstone development.

Borough staff told the council that although overall delinquencies rose slightly, only 44 of approximately 3,000 accounts have balances over $1,000 and 278 accounts exceed the $221 quarterly delinquency threshold. Five properties in Shadowstone together owe more than $17,000; the borough cannot place liens on the lots because those lots are owned by the park, not by the homeowners.

Because liens cannot be placed on those lots, staff said the borough is working with the solicitor to determine whether an encumbrance on title is possible. Staff reported three of the highest balances (combined more than $15,000) are with the solicitor and moving toward writs; one account recently received a judgment and is proceeding toward foreclosure, likely in December. The borough noted it has authorization to pursue writs for additional properties and will bring related items to a future agenda for council consideration.

The council discussed the special challenges of manufactured-home ownership, including that homeowners may hold a title for the unit while the park owns the lot and that outstanding lot rent or estate issues can complicate recovery. In one case staff said a resident had died and the borough is awaiting estate processing. Staff declined to pursue seizure of personal items as a remedy.

No new formal policy change was adopted during the meeting; councilors were informed that staff will continue legal action where appropriate and return to council with specific writ or foreclosure requests for approval as needed.