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Residents push township to renegotiate mandatory water‑hookup policy after surprise notices
Summary
Residents told to connect to a new public water line raised affordability and transparency concerns at a Springettsbury Township meeting, citing a $1,500 tap fee, a $14.75 application charge and an ordinance that requires homes within 150 feet to connect; supervisors agreed to meet York Water Company and consider extending the application deadline.
Several residents told the Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors on a recent evening that a Sept. 4 notice requiring connection to a newly completed public water main has come as an unexpected financial burden and was communicated poorly by the water supplier.
"We now have to shell out $1,500 for a service that we didn't want, that we don't need," said Jeff Herman of 3429 Druck Valley Road, who urged the board to amend ordinance 3‑19 to add an exemption for properties with safe on‑site water. Herman said York Water Company had earlier told residents they would not be forced to hook up.
Stephanie Herman, also of Druck Valley Road, read the township letter and cited ordinance 3‑19 (sections 12 and 13), which she said requires residences within 150 feet of a main to connect and disconnect private wells. She asked whether some homeowners might be "grandfathered" under state Article 26 language and said she had contacted state officials who advised her to raise the issue locally.
Township Solicitor James explained that the ordinance implements state law giving municipalities authority to require hookups within a 150‑foot radius and described the underlying debt service arrangement with York Water Company. He said the original 1985 loan from York Water to the township was structured so that connection fees and a $2 monthly surcharge on bills go toward paying the loan; the outstanding balance cited during the meeting was $541,248.28.
Board members and staff acknowledged the communication problems residents described and discussed options. Manager Mark said he would schedule a meeting with York Water Company to review the 1985 agreement and asked Solicitor James to attend. The chair proposed placing an agenda item at the next meeting to consider extending the application deadline by four months and to examine payment‑installment options for residents.
Several residents urged the township to seek grant funding or other ways to reduce up‑front costs, and others asked why the township collects the $14.75 application fee and forwards it to York Water. "I can't afford it either," said Vicky Stein of Brook Valley Road, citing limited Social Security income.
No ordinance change or waiver was adopted at the meeting; board members discussed the legal limits of unilateral relief, the need to renegotiate with York Water if the mandatory connection requirement is to be altered, and the practical steps of providing residents additional time or altered payment terms.
The board directed staff to arrange talks with York Water Company and to place the timeline‑extension and payment‑structure discussion on the next meeting agenda.
