The debate over whether the Harmony Borough water system should be sold to Pennsylvania-American Water Co. has not ended, despite a 4-3 council vote not to sell the system.

Now that three community leaders have sent letters to residents urging them to attend this evening's council meeting and ask that the not-to-sell decision be reconsidered, it is important for residents to come forward to state or reiterate their opinions about what the council has deemed as the right way to proceed.

What's important from today's vantage point is that, before residents are permitted to join the discussion, officials opposing and favoring sale of the system be allotted time to restate the key points from their perspective. The goal should be to clear up any misconceptions that might have surfaced as a result of hearsay. Meanwhile, facts, not emotions, should guide the discussion.

Today's meeting will be at 7 p.m. in Stewart Hall at the Harmony Historical Museum. As with the residents, council members should participate in the discussion in an open-minded way.

Because of the ongoing interest in the issue, it would be wrong for the council to stifle discussion as a result of the no-sell vote that is on the books. Good arguments have been put forth from both sides of the issue at previous meetings, and more discussion is not out of line, since no work has yet been done that would make options other than the council's selected course out of the question.

The amount of discussion that has taken place about the water system can be judged healthy, whatever scenario ultimately prevails.

Merging the Harmony water system with Zelienople's is one of the options being considered outside the realm of selling to Pennsylvania-American, which has offered to pay $1.5 million for the system.

Sending the letter in question to community residents were Tom Murray, a businessman; Tom Ayers, a member of the zoning hearing board; and Tim Sapienza, Harmony fire chief. The letter states that there are only two viable options for the Harmony system, selling to Pennsylvania-American or continuing to patch the water system and limping along, hoping there is not a major breakdown.

According to the letter, retaining the systeming would leave the borough treasury with little or no money, a probable tax increase and water rates for customers of more than $40 per month. In addition to having the money from the sale, the letter says, the scenario would be in place for a possible real-estate tax reduction and water rates in the $30- to $33-per-month range.

But the opposite side of the issue isn't unreasonable from those who think the borough should remain in the water business, and who don't think the situation is as dire as the three leaders' letter portrays.

Dave Szakelyhidi, chairman of the water authority and a borough councilman who voted against the sale, provided the following observation:

"Why would anybody sell out (the water system) and let the money go out of the borough? All that's spent stays in the municipality.

"We've been in the water business for 33 years and nothing has really changed. We still continue to provide good service to the residents. The latest rate increase puts back into the budget reserve for the work we need to do and to pay for our debt service."

As borough taxpayers and water users, residents have a right to continue discussing the pros and cons of a water system sale within the realm of borough government sessions.

Hopefully, residents will turn out en masse this evening to allow their voices to be heard during the course of a respectful, inquiring discussion about all that is at stake.