Harrisburg residents didn’t know that city officials planned to entertain the possible privatization of the local water and sewer system until they read about it in the newspaper — neither did most members of city council.
For that perceived lack of transparency, criticisms were aired at a meeting last week in council chambers, where Harrisburg residents such as Melanie Cook spoke out against city administrators, including Mayor Eric Papenfuse.
“How does a city government make a determination that it should explore the possibility of selling a valuable asset like water and sewer and not bother to inform the people that we elect to make a decision,” Cook said, referring to council members who were unaware of the proposal.
Council President Wanda Williams had the answer. Williams was aware of the proposal, but the mayor, she said, “went gung-ho” and released information to reporters before she had enough time to share the plan with all council members.
Papenfuse was not in attendance to defend himself, but in an earlier text message he clarified that “this is not a sale. This is just the city doing its due diligence to see if there is interest and whether there could be savings for ratepayers,” he said.
Last month, Papenfuse announced that city officials would entertain offers from private companies to buy the system.
At this point, the request is intended to simply see if there is interest from private-sector buyers who would be interested in purchasing the system. That does not mean a sale is guaranteed, according to Wayne Martin, the city’s engineer who addressed council members last week.
The “catalyst” that led to request for proposals, Papenfuse said previously, was disgust for a proposed stormwater fee, which would add about $75 annually to the average residential water bill.
The system is operated by Capital Region Water, a local municipal authority with a governing board appointed by Papenfuse and city council.
And those Capital Region Water board members are now considering the stormwater fee, which is intended to create a dedicated funding stream to cover $315 million worth of stormwater system improvements over the next 20 years.
The fee would be levied based on impervious land — land covered in solid surfaces like asphalt and concrete that cannot absorb rainfall. Unabsorbed water can wash across solid surfaces, picking up pollutants and carrying them to nearby waterways, including the Susquehanna River and its terminus, the Chesapeake Bay.
The city — and numerous other communities within the bay’s watershed — are now required to reduce that run-off-related pollution. That reduction is mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and there are consequences, possibly financial penalties, if those mandates are not met, officials said.
Still, the mayor has criticized the the proposed fee, claiming it would hurt low-income residents while also discouraging new, large-scale economic development.
“I am concerned about the continual spiraling upward of costs, both in terms of fees and rates, for the system,” Papenfuse said previously.
Last week, residents wondered if Papenfuse acted rashly in his decision to explore privatization.
At least one of those residents, Kathryn Lally, said she was baffled by the news. Lally, who only recently moved to the area, said the city should leave the system as is. That’s especially true because of its relationship with the Susquehanna River.
Runoff-related pollutants harm the river, which is a backup water source for the city.
“Water is such a crucial part of what this city is and what this city has to offer,” Lally said. “I’d like to be able to swim in the Susquehanna some day and not sell it off to a private corporation.”
A private owner, some residents said, will care less about the community and its residents and more about turning a profit.
A number of those residents stood at the back of City Council chambers and held up a large banner, which read “Keep H2O local.”
“Bring that Tuesday,” Williams said, referring to the banner.
City officials are hosting a public hearing Tuesday about unrelated traffic issues.
Despite his absence from the meeting, Papenfuse continued to be a talking point last week. Then, council members Shamaine Daniels and Ben Allatt made it clear that they had not been told about the request for proposals before reading about it in the news.
Councilwoman Danielle Bowers said the same weeks earlier.
“For us to effectively manage the comings and goings of our government requires us to work together,” Allatt said. “The challenge that I’ve had historically and even recently is that there is no true collaboration that occurs.”
Allatt said it’s a problem that is impacting his constituents, including the ones who came out to share their concerns last week. They should be informed, not just by the newspaper, he said.
“When we don’t allow public input, when we don’t allow public comment and when we make decisions in a vacuum these are things that really concern me on a regular basis,” Allatt said. “We need to do a better job of communicating and collaborating and arrive at decisions that really truly do benefit everybody.”
Then he asked members of the city administration to give the mayor a message: “We cannot continue to down this path. We must work together in a collaborative fashion. We want to work in a collaborative fashion.”
Related:
- A bad time for stormwater fees? Harrisburg mayor says it is, but water board decides otherwise
- Raw sewage was discharged into Harrisburg waterways on 150 days last year
- The cost of rain: More towns ask property owners to pay for stormwater plans
- Proposed sale of Harrisburg water system gets attention at meeting about stormwater fee