A controversy that's been brewing in one Dauphin County community for months, is officially on-hold.
On Monday night, members of the Halifax Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to table any further discussion of Act 537, indefinitely.
"The board made the decision not to act on the plan at this time," Supervisor Chairwoman Norma Shearer tells CBS 21 News. "We decided, due to the state of the economy, and how it affects our residents' lives, that this is not the time to continue with the plan."
The plan was to expand municipal sewer service to more Halifax Township residents, who are currently served by private, septic systems.
Act 537, also known as the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, was adopted by state lawmakers in 1966. However, many rural communities, including Halifax Township, still have yet to fully comply with the Act.
In an attempt to update its infrastructure, the Board of Supervisors recommended the expansion of the public sewer line. According to Shearer, the first phase of the proposed expansion would occur from areas along Route 225, south of the Sheetz store, and in and around the village of Matamoras.
Residents living along that corridor protested the expansion, citing the thousands of dollars in costs that they would have to incur in order to tap into the existing public sewer system, operated from inside the Borough of Halifax. Quarterly sewer bills would also be incurred after the time of the connection.
Proponents of Act 537 say it may cost property owners money up front, but being connected to public utilities ultimatley increases property values.
Others residents, in areas not targeted for sewer service expansion, opposed a part of Act 537 that required septic tanks to be pumped every five years. Private septic systems would also be subject to inspections by Township officials.
Despite the Board's decision to table Act 537 for now, Shearer says it is most likely not the end of the controversy.
"When there is a need, or when the time seems right," says Shearer, "it will be brought back for further discussion."
