State College votes to hike sewer fees 7%. ‘At this point, we don’t have any alternative’
State College’s decision-makers voted Monday to up sewer fees nearly 7.2%, an increase the borough’s manager said was necessary to pass onto customers after a wastewater treatment plant instituted even steeper price hikes.
Borough Council voted to increase the borough’s fees to $12.67 per 1,000 gallons of metered water usage, up from $11.82. The increase is effective for water consumed after Jan. 1.
The vote was unanimous. Council member Divine Lipscomb was absent.
Borough Manager Tom Fountaine bluntly told Borough Council it did not have any option other than voting for the increase.
“This was a rate increase approved by the University Area Joint Authority and — in order to make the payments that are required by that — the borough has to pass that onto its customers,” Fountaine said.
The vote came after UAJA imposed double-digit rate increases for sewer treatment and conveyance in back-to-back years. Its board approved a 10.6% increase last year, as well as a 17.5% increase in 2022.
When asked by council member Gopal Balachandran if UAJA’s increase was reasonable, Fountaine did not offer a direct answer. Instead, he offered a public reminder of the borough’s ongoing litigation with UAJA over billing rates.
“Some of that information we’ve not been able to ascertain to be able to make a determination,” Fountaine said. “At this point, we don’t have any alternative in the borough but to increase the rate.”
Only one borough resident spoke before the vote, a man who sought clarification about the status of the lawsuit. Fountaine declined further comment.
UAJA alleged the borough has failed to make full payments for the services it uses and owes more than $400,000. The borough in turn accused the authority of overcharging millions of dollars and improperly imposing new rates.
Attorneys asked a Centre County judge last month to push a potential trial to 2025. The next Borough Council meeting is scheduled to begin 7 p.m. Feb. 12.