Lower Towamensing addresses delinquent garbage bills

Delinquent garbage bills are piling up in Lower Towamensing Township, and the board of supervisors is exploring options to collect.

During the Wednesday afternoon board meeting, the supervisors examined a list of past due bills provided by Creditech, a collections company, totaling over $81,000.

“We have numerous delinquent accounts that go back to 2009, some even before then,” chairman Brent Green said.

Unfortunately for the township, collecting the bills could be a difficult operation.

Vice Chairman Ronald Walbert suggested filing liens to resolve the issue, with Green agreeing that any unpaid bill dated before 2016 should be penalized with a lien.

Secretary Christine Wentz said at least one of the properties in the list had been sold.

Supervisor Jesse Mendez pointed out that he knew at least one person had moved from their listed address.

“We need to enact an ordinance or something. When somebody sells a home they have to be current with everything,” Walbert said.

Walbert also contested sending delinquencies to Creditech too early, feeling that it would further prohibit residents from keeping current with their bills.

“I feel that people are paying Creditech, but they’re not keeping current with their garbage bills. It’s almost like a credit card. They’re only paying the interest, and they’ll never pay it off,” he said.

Green suggested a third and final notice of past due amounts might be a better option than sending the accounts to Creditech.

Wentz brought up the notion of making the garbage bills a tax, a feasible option that was discussed years ago.

The board concluded the matter by passing a motion to seek advice from solicitor Jim Nanovic concerning the collection of the current past due amounts, and the possibility of creating a garbage tax.

In other business

• The board agreed to extend an offer of employment to a candidate for a full-time labor position at $17 per hour. If accepted, the candidate would be eligible for an increase once they obtain a CDL license, at which time they would take up the duties of an operator/driver.

• The board also agreed to offer part-time employment on an as-needed basis to two candidates for laborer positions at $15.50 per hour, subject to change after a 90-day review.

• A motion to purchase a new time punch clock, not to exceed $500, was approved.

• The purchase of two eero Wi-Fi Systems, one for the recreation center and one for the township building, at a cost of $304.38 was approved.

• A motion to request that Keystone Tech add purchase orders to the township’s QuickBooks Pro system was approved. If the purchase orders cannot be added to the system, the board approved an upgrade to the system if necessary.

• A request to purchase five email accounts from G Suite at a cost of $250 was approved.