SUMMIT TWP — Despite receiving approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection for a sewer plan for Summit Township, the sewer authority decided to contact the department to consider its options after concerns over affordability mounted.

Summit Township Sewer Authority voted 2-2 Monday evening, Oct. 12, on the issue of submitting a responsibility letter to request funding from PENNVEST.

PENNVEST is a state financing authority that provides low-cost financial assistance through grants or loans for projects like sewer systems.

While the vote on the resolution to apply passed, the motion to submit the responsibility letter — a necessary part of the process — tied. As a result of a tie, the motion failed.

While solicitor Mike Gallagher was not present at the meeting, township secretary Roxann Stickney contacted him during it to ask for next steps following the vote. He advised the board they would need to contact the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

“We’re going to have to tell the DEP that we don’t want this, we’re not doing this and we want to discuss options,” Stickney said of the substance of Gallagher’s communication.

The authority was seeking funding through PENNVEST and other sources for the first phase of a $22 million project that already received DEP approval. Each phase was estimated to cost $11 million.

According to estimates from LSSE, the authority’s engineer, the cost of the project per equivalent dwelling unit varied depending on the amount of funding the project could receive and whether that funding was through grants or loans. On the high end, it could have cost each EDU as much as $235 a month.

Monday’s meeting attracted many residents asking questions or recommending the authority’s board reconsider the plan due to affordability concerns. Even if PENNVEST covered 100% of the sewer system’s cost, some residents expressed concerns around tap-in fees and the cost of removing their septic systems.

David Barry, Authority board member, who voted in favor of applying, said before the vote he was hoping to get a number from PENNVEST so they can calculate the cost for the residents. He promised residents he would not support something he considered unaffordable.

“If they come back and say, ‘We’re going to give you a 50% grant and 50% loan,’ we’re going to say that we can’t afford this job. But we have to do this. We have to apply to it to find out if they’re going to give us the money and how they’re going to give it to us. If we can’t afford it, then we can go back to the DEP and say we can’t afford this system,” he said before the vote.

The two board members who rejected the vote, Brad Badali and Chad Spohn, argued the current $22 million plan would not result in a feasible cost regardless of the form of funding.

“We’re getting this illusion that we’re going to make it affordable and it’s not going to be,” Badali said.

Stickney said she would contact the DEP and schedule a meeting before the next sewer authority meeting set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.