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Cumru commissioners approve $500,000 transfer to seed Angelica interceptor and Ardmore sewer projects
Summary
The Cumru Township Board voted to move $500,000 from the operating sewer fund into the capital savings fund to begin preparatory work on the multi‑phase Angelica Interceptor and the Ardmore Avenue sewer replacement; staff also outlined tap‑fee revenue assumptions and an outstanding treatment rate from the City of Reading.
The Cumru Township Board of Commissioners voted to transfer $500,000 from the 803 sewer operating fund into the 809 sewer capital (savings) fund to advance two sewer projects: the multi‑phase Angelica Interceptor and the Ardmore Avenue replacement.
Staff told the board that the Angelica Interceptor will be permit‑heavy because it follows Angelica Creek and is expected to be a multi‑year, multimillion‑dollar effort, while Ardmore Avenue is a more conventional road‑and‑sewer replacement estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million. "We recommend that in this fourth quarter a transfer of half a million dollars by the end of the year into the capital fund," staff said, and a commissioner moved the transfer; the motion passed with recorded yes votes from multiple commissioners.
Why it matters: staff said the township has about $3 million in the sewer savings fund already encumbered for Angelica and that keeping the funds in 803 and 809 at targeted levels protects the township from large quarterly treatment bills to the City of Reading. Staff noted the township currently budgets based on a contract cost of $38,880 (roughly $45 per household) and about 6,800 households for the millage/fee calculations.
Board discussion also covered tapping‑fee assumptions and grant timing. Staff said the 809 capital fund receives tapping fees when developments file building permits — for example, one Hawthorne building would produce 20 EDUs — and interest on invested balances. The board heard that the township had not yet received final treatment and transportation rates from the City of Reading for budgeting and that staff assumed a conservative 10% increase for next year until those rates arrive.
The board also approved budget items tied to the transfer — including a planned $74,000 truck purchase — and staff said even after the $500,000 transfer the township expects nearly $2 million in the operating/checking account at year end. Staff emphasized that grant awards (notably the Commonwealth Financing Agency decision on outstanding grant applications) will determine how quickly full construction would proceed.
What’s next: staff will adjust the capital and operating budgets when the City of Reading provides final treatment rates and will proceed with permit work and grant follow‑up to move the Angelica project from planning toward construction.
