Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Septic Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident calls private septic fee unfair; board says some systems are grandfathered and will review
Summary
A Montgomery resident told the Board of Health she will withhold a $60 administrative septic fee she calls a 'money grab.' Health officer and board members said the program historically exempted some systems and recommended staff identify grandfathered systems and review the ordinance.
At the April 8 meeting of the Montgomery Township Board of Health, resident Michelle Parece told the board she opposed a recurring administrative fee for private septic systems and said she had been told previously not to pay until the matter was discussed. "I feel it's a money grab," Michelle said, asking the board to explain where her $60 goes and why some private septic owners are charged while others appear not to be in the program.
Board members and the health officer responded that the township's septic management program historically included exemptions for systems created during a construction boom and that those properties were not required to enroll unless there was a realty transaction, repair or alteration. The health officer said staff do not currently have a comprehensive list of grandfathered systems and recommended reviewing the ordinance and collecting data on how many systems are exempt.
The health officer additionally estimated—based on available but incomplete data—that "maybe 20% of all of the septics in town are grandfathered in," and told the board that digitized permitting systems and cleaned licensing data should make it easier to identify exempt systems going forward. Several board members suggested starting by comparing who is paying into the public‑service spreadsheet with properties that have no records of pumping or required proof.
No formal vote or ordinance change occurred at the meeting; the discussion concluded with a direction to staff to collect more data, review the grandfathering provisions in the ordinance and update the board at a later meeting.
