FRACKVILLE - The Frackville Area Municipal Authority is concentrating on getting customers who are delinquent with their sewage accounts to pay up.
The FAMA board of directors discussed the delinquencies during the Oct. 17 meeting, a subject that was also raised during the Sept. 19 meeting, when the board directed solicitor Paul G. Domalakes to take all aggressive, cost-effective legal action against property owners who are delinquent in their sewer bills
This directive at the September meeting followed a report by Liaison Committee Chairman Delmar Phillips that unpaid sewer charges totaled about $75,000. The delinquencies squeeze the operations budget involving daily operations of the plant, which serves Frackville and portions of Butler and West Mahanoy townships. According to plant manager Douglas Cleary, the authority also has the high cost of necessary plant renovations.
FAMA office manager Rhonda Frantz said total delinquencies as of Sept. 30, the end of the third billing quarter, was $69,422.
The solicitor's actions will supplement the water shut-offs on delinquents already scheduled to take place this month.
Correcting the infiltration and the costs of the renovations, which were not expected to be necessary this year and are already in progress, are a strain on the FAMA budget, according to board President William Rhodes and other directors.
"It is not fair to all those who pay their bills on time," said Rhodes, expressing his frustration with delinquents.
"It's the same people every time," Phillips said.
Domalakes said that the board understands that there are people dealing with hard times and a bad economy, and FAMA has been very cooperative with those customers who fall behind if they are consistent in their efforts to catch up.
"Given the financial needs of FAMA, however, the board believes a firmer policy aimed at collecting the unpaid sewer bills and encouraging customers to get current was the only way to be fair to all and for FAMA to meet its legal obligations," Domalakes said.
In a telephone interview, Domalakes said a large delinquent account owes more than $18,000 for multiple rental properties, but the person has declared bankruptcy and FAMA is dealing with the trustee.
"The trustee in bankruptcy is collecting rent on some of his properties and he has agreed to pay the sewer bills - at least going forward - of those properties that are occupied, which is good," Domalakes said. "We also filed the paperwork necessary to preserve our claim with the bankruptcy."
Domalakes added that FAMA will be looking at water shut-offs to those properties that are chronically delinquent.