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Sewer authority to raise usage rate; township waives permit fees for UV disinfection building
Summary
The Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority presented a rate increase for 2026 tied to aging infrastructure, rising capital projects and treatment fees; the board waived roughly $6,150 in permit fees for the authority's ultraviolet disinfection project at the Eureka plant.
The Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority (MTMSA) told the board Nov. 11 it will raise sewer usage charges in 2026 after years of flat revenue and rising capital needs.
Shannon Drosnach, executive director of MTMSA, presented a 10-year financial summary and said the authority approved a usage-rate increase — the first since 2012 — to fund near-term capital work. Drosnach said the authority’s fixed quarterly infrastructure charge ($87.59 per household) will remain unchanged, while the usage rate will rise from $2.84 to $5.34 per 1,000 gallons. She said tapping fees for one-time connections would increase under formulas in the Municipal Authorities Act (example increase cited from $4,822 to $6,434).
Drosnach described multiple capital projects that are driving the need for revenue: a planned ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system to replace chlorine gas, a large electrical upgrade at a jointly owned Hatfield plant, and a multi-year force-main replacement program. She said some projects are partially grant-funded (including ARPA money for the UV system) and that MTMSA recently took on low-cost borrowing (PEMVEST) to finance an aeration project; debt service will begin in 2026.
On a separate but related item, the board approved a staff motion to waive about $6,150.44 in permit fees tied to MTMSA’s UV disinfection project at the Eureka wastewater treatment plant (building, electric and zoning fees). Staff noted the board has waived fees for sewer-authority projects in the past.
What happens next: MTMSA will implement the usage-rate change for 2026 and continue engineering and grant applications for capital projects; the township will coordinate any permitting and anticipated inspections for the UV installation.
Quote: "The MTMSA board has approved implementing a sewer rate increase for 2026," MTMSA's executive director said during the presentation.
Note: The article uses figures presented publicly by MTMSA; specific final billing impacts for individual households will vary by usage.
