Sale opponents claim ‘This is our win, we did it together’
A quiet vote brought one chapter to a close, but residents still have plenty to say.
Towamencin’s supervisors voted on Wednesday night to adopt the ordinance as advertised, repealing the township’s long-disputed sewer sale, and sale opponents continued to sound off on their success.
“Towamencin, this is our win. We did it together. Now, let’s move forward and build an even stronger, brighter future for our community,” said residents Kofi Osei and Jenn Foster in a statement Wednesday night.
Osei and Foster and the "Towamencin NOPE" group were the primary opponents to selling the sewer system, first to NextEra and then to PA American Water, arguing that the township's ratepayers would be vulnerable to steep rate hikes under a private owner, with no local control over those rates.
That opposition continued until August when supervisors Chairman Chuck Wilson announced that PA American Water and the township saw little likelihood the sale would be approved due to recent rulings and changing calculations by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, and asked for a motion to terminate the sale.
While NOPE members clapped, cheered and celebrated in the room on Sept. 11 as the supervisors voted to advertise a repeal ordinance, the celebration was more subdued two weeks later, as Wilson read an action item formally adopting that ordinance.
Osei made the motion, and laughs followed as longtime sale opponent Joyce Snyder seconded it, but Wilson attributed it to supervisor Kristin Warner, prompting a clarification: "I'm Joyce Snyder, I seconded," she said, before a unanimous vote to approve.
After the meeting, Foster and Osei posted a lengthy statement on the "Towamencin NOPE" Facebook page, calling the sale saga "a David vs Goliath story."
"For four long years, four elections, and a lawsuit, our community in Towamencin stood strong against a powerful political machine and the nation's largest water/wastewater company, American Water," said the two.
"Our victory is a testament to the power of persistence and community spirit. We rewrote township law, pressured the PUC to change valuation rules, and ultimately stopped the sale," the two said.
The statement then said the new PUC rules on public notification and valuation of such sales were "a direct result of pressure from concerned citizens like us," then reiterated their case against the sale, and the supervisors backing it.
"It was never advantageous to ratepayers. Over the course of four years, they wasted taxpayer money on legal fees and propaganda, violated sunshine laws, allowed PA American to interfere with requests for information, consistently ignored their constituents, and lost elections repeatedly," said the two.
The pair thanked Snyder for her opposition since before the sale vote in 2022, the five other members of the government study commission, the NOPE volunteers who helped spread the word prior to the votes, their attorneys, and the similar NOPE groups that have led similar efforts elsewhere.
"Finally, and most importantly, the Towamencin community. You knocked on doors, donated, showed up and made your voices heard, and trusted us to lead this fight. The greatest reward has been the bonds forged within our community," Foster and Osei said.
Several sewer-related items were also discussed by Warner, during her report on the September board finance committee meeting. In that meeting, Warner said, staff and supervisors reviewed the professional service expenses and fees related to the sale, without sharing specific numbers, and discussed a request made by residents during the sale debate, whether sewer charges should switch to a rate based on usage instead of the current flat fee.
"The committee discussed looking at an analysis of usage rate versus flat rate charges. This will result in a detailed review, with a possible implementation in 2026," Warner said. "We're going to continue discussing that item as we move forward, in future meetings."
That committee also discussed another request from residents, a switch to a new online bill payment platform, which Warner said "was completed, and is up and running" through the township's website and via walk-ins to the township building. A mailer will be sent to all residents with instructions on how to sign up, and "staff is confident that the new platform will add more participants by the end of the year," she said.
Towamencin's supervisors next meet at 7 p.m. on Oct.9 at the township administration building, 1090 Troxel Road. For more information visit www.Towamencin.org.
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