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Authority to pass $1.50 ACH fee to customers, authorizes $200,000 transfer to capital and pursues connections enforcement
Summary
The Authority directed that a $1.50 ACH processing fee, effective June 1, 2026, be charged to customers to avoid a broader rate increase; it also authorized a $200,000 transfer from sewer revenue to capital improvements and reported legal action to compel seven remaining property owners to connect to the North I‑81 sewer project.
The Silver Spring Township Authority directed on April 15 that a $1.50 ACH payment processing fee, effective June 1, 2026, be charged to customers who pay by ACH, rather than absorbed by the Authority. Authority Manager James Stevens told the board the projected cost of absorbing the fee would be about $32,000 per year; the board voted to pass the fee to customers to avoid a general rate increase.
At the same meeting the board authorized transfer of $200,000 from the Sewer Revenue account to Capital Improvement to cover April capital expenses. The transfer was approved on a Secary‑McMillan motion; the minutes record the motion carried but do not list individual vote tallies.
Manager Stevens also updated the board on the North I‑81 project, reporting the Authority is working with seven property owners who have not yet connected. The solicitor is moving forward with legal proceedings to ensure those connections occur in the coming month, according to the minutes.
Why it matters: shifting the ACH fee to customers changes the cost of a common payment method and is likely to affect customers who pay electronically. The transfer to capital is a budgetary step to cover near‑term project payments. Legal action to require hookups signals the Authority's intent to enforce mandatory connection requirements tied to the North I‑81 project.
What the minutes do not specify: individual roll‑call vote tallies for the transfer or fee directive; projected dates for the solicitor's filings; and whether any customer-notification plan was adopted (the minutes state the board 'directed' the fee be charged).
