A consequential decision from Connoquenessing Township supervisors has placed taxpayers on edge over what it might mean for their wallets and property in the near future.

During a meeting earlier this month, two outgoing supervisors tilted the scales in a 2-1 vote to submit a mandatory Act 537 Sewage Plan, based on the preferred option of wastewater treatment at the Saxonburg Area Authority.

The plan was one of four feasible alternatives laid out by Cranberry Township engineering firm Herbert, Rowland & Grubic Inc.

Should that alternative be approved, residents are concerned it could saddle taxpayers with the cost of a multimillion dollar collection system while threatening to tear up portions of their properties along the way.

The exact cost would depend on how much outside financial assistance township officials could secure in the coming years.

“Residents, I think, are kind of shell-shocked right now,” said longtime resident Bill Long, a frequent critic of township leadership.

The vote came despite the state Department of Environmental Protection granting a 60-day extension in late May that would have given supervisors until Aug. 20 to approve a 110-page base plan that details ways to potentially handle wastewater treatment within the township.

Supervisors Bruce Steinhiser and Ricky Kradel voted in the affirmative, while the sole supervisor who will be returning to the board in January, Angela Fleeger, dissented.

It will now be sent to the Department of Environmental Protection for review and possible approval. That process, according to Fleeger, could take “about six months.”

Several residents criticized the decision, saying leaders should have investigated other alternatives with the additional time.

“I do believe that they should have used the 60-day extension that the (Department of Environmental Protection) had given the township to analyze Pennsylvania American Water as a viable option,” said resident Carol Christner. “I think they essentially voted too early.”

Fleeger shared those sentiments nearly a week after the vote, noting the direct customer option from Pennsylvania American Water should have been factored into the plan.

“In my opinion, I think that the residents at large were very unhappy with the way that that vote went,” she said.

This issue, however, isn’t new to township officials. A law regarding wastewater plans for municipalities has been on the books since 1966. Per the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, all municipalities must develop and implement a comprehensive sewage facilities plan that addresses present and future sewage disposal needs.

Supervisors first received a letter from the Department of Environmental Protection in June 2023 stating they were in violation of the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act for not having a functioning public sewage plan mapped out.

Pending approval, the township will redirect wastewater from about 800 equivalent dwelling units to the municipal authority, which has the capacity to treat up to 400,000 gallons per day from the township, far exceeding an estimated need of 117,000 gallons.

Residents tied to the new system would face an estimated monthly treatment cost of $24.09, based on a bulk rate of $5.50 per 1,000 gallons, according to the plan. Tap-in fees are projected at $3,315 per equivalent dwelling unit, in line with the authority’s current rate.

But the main concern is the cost for a new township-owned collection system, which would include a combination of gravity sewers, pressure mains and pump stations to transport sewage to the treatment facility.

“I think that it is going to be very difficult for a number of the residents to be able to meet the costs that are going to be associated with this proposed plan,” Christner said.

In the aftermath of the decision, Fleeger said securing various grants and loans for the project would be “an absolute must” to bring down some of the impending financial strain.

“As it stands right now without that, it’s not an affordable program,” she said. “That’s my concern for the residents. We have a lot of work to do to make those numbers work.”

While it’s unclear what the exact cost of a new collection system might be, Fleeger said it could be upward of “a million dollars a mile in pipe” to connect Connoquenessing Township to the treatment facility in Penn Township.

Additionally, there has been significant skepticism surrounding what the plan could mean for the environment.

Those concerns are especially relevant for residents like Christner, who owns a 350-acre grain farm that stands to incur harm during the construction process.

“The environmental destruction throughout the township is going to be astronomical,” she said. “There are a number of homeowners who are very concerned. ... (In my case), there’s going to be a tremendous amount of land that’s going to be affected if this goes through. It’s going to destroy wetlands and field drains and will disrupt the wildlife.”

Another factor at play is a leadership transition. Two new supervisors will join Fleeger on the board in January after the terms of Steinhiser and Kradel expire at the end of the year.

Mark Williams, who won the Republican primary for a two-year term on May 20, and Ray Kroll Sr., who ran unopposed in the May race for a six-year term, will appear on the November ballot to claim terms that begin at the start of the new year.

But their jobs, Christner said, may have already become more strenuous because of the decision to push the plan forward.

“I believe that what they (Steinhiser and Kradel) have done is made a very difficult situation for the new supervisors coming in,” she said.

However, most residents that regularly attend the supervisors’ meetings have praised Fleeger for her attention to detail and willingness to listen to their concerns. Long said he believes the board will be vastly improved come next year.

“Angela’s top-notch,” Long said. “She goes right down to the bottom line on anything she investigates and does a tremendous job.”