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Resident calls septic‑pumping fee a 'money grab'; committee asks board of health for review
Summary
A resident challenged the township's three‑year septic‑pumping fee and argued grandfathering leaves some homeowners exempt; board and staff said the fee is set by a board‑of‑health ordinance dating to the 1990s and the committee requested follow‑up.
During public comment Michelle Preece criticized the township's three‑year septic‑pumping fee, describing it as unfair and calling it a "money grab." Preece said diligent homeowners who comply with the pumping requirement are being charged while others remain outside the program because they were grandfathered in when the ordinance was adopted.
Preece urged the township to show how the $60 administrative fee (collected once every three years) is spent and asked why some properties appear to be excluded from the requirement. "When a replacement or repair is done on a septic, it falls into the health department's radar," she said, and argued that inconsistent application undermines trust.
Township officials responded that oversight of the septic program is a Board of Health matter and that an implementation decision in the 1990s grandfathered certain systems; a board representative confirmed that the board sets the fee. Committee members asked staff to bring an update to the next meeting and directed coordination with the Board of Health at its next meeting so the township committee can better understand the scope of registration and enforcement.
No changes to the ordinance or fee were adopted at the meeting; the committee asked for a follow‑up report.
