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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 15, 2023 03:48 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Liz Hanbidge |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Giving Ratepayers a Voice during a Water or Sewer Utility Sale – Repealing Act 12 of 2016 |
| Over the past few years, Towamencin Township has been in the process of selling their municipally owned sewer system. As a result, my neighbors and constituents are facing years of increased sewer bills and an uncertain future. I am deeply concerned that the Commonwealth has no mechanism to determine the wishes or opinions of ratepayers and whether they truly want a municipally owned utility sale to occur. We need to prioritize the wishes and needs of ratepayers over corporate profits. Since it passed in 2016, Act 12 of 2016 has emboldened municipalities to sell municipal assets to balance budgets or pay for other projects and a process designed to help destressed municipalities has morphed into a form of covert taxation, compounded by the permanent loss of a municipal asset. However, often the ramifications of those sales are drastically increased rates, loss of local autonomy over the utility, poor customer service, and a frustrating lack of system upgrades. My bill would repeal Act 12 of 2016 and require that prior to the sale of a public utility, a ratepayer referendum would take place and if ratepayers disapprove of the sale, the sale could not proceed. Ratepayers are the ones footing the bill. Whether it is a municipality or a public utility providing the service, ratepayers should be the first people we contact to see what they want and how they want to proceed. Please join me and give ratepayers a voice and bring oversight to this process. |