At Tuesday's meeting of the Pennsburg Borough Council, Greg Young, assistant superintendent of Upper Montgomery Joint Authority (UMJA), requested the council's assistance in encouraging residents to have lateral inspections of sewage systems.

            However, council decided to table this discussion and requested more information and future meetings with UMJA in order to make an informed decision.

            Inspections cost $50, and, if an issue is discovered it must be fixed. UMJA stressed the importance of routine sewer maintenance and evaluation. The cost of repair to sewer systems can be costly, an especially heavy burden for people on a fixed income.

            UMJA stated that their guidelines do not impede the process of settlement during the sale of a property. If the property is in the process of sale, who is the responsible party is left to the buyer and seller to decide.

             Solicitor Charles Garner clarified that scenario. "The guidelines of the borough and UMJA may not hold up settlement, but there is always a possibility of the settlement being held up by disagreement of responsibility between buyer and seller."

            Garner added that he was not disputing Young's comments. The solicitor said he wanted to make sure everyone understood the situation.

            Red Hill created a guideline for residents to follow and East Greenville modified an ordinance regarding lateral sewage inspections.

            Also at the meeting, Janet Albert, a resident of Still Waters Community, addressed officials regarding the road issues on Eighth Street. Albert asked if there are monies available for street reconstruction. Due to a heavy rain last year and heavy traffic on Eighth Street, the road is deteriorating.

            After a brief conversation between Albert and officials, Council President Kris Kirkwood said, "To answer your question, Janet, there are no monies in our budget specific for repairs on Eighth Street, but we will be addressing that issue in the future."

            Repairs and improvements will be determined by the availability of funds and weather conditions conducive to construction.

            In other news, Acting Police Chief Joe Adam reported statistics for January. Total calls and services totaled 397: one reportable accident, four non-reportable, one criminal arrest, 32 traffic details, 42 vehicle citations, 28 warnings, nine parking tickets/warnings, 140 public service calls, and two security alarm checks.

            In addition, the Upper Perk Police Department requested the purchase of security cameras for the municipal building and police department. The security cameras are over eight- years old and insufficient. Adam informed the council that there are currently six cameras. Of those cameras, one does not work and four are grainy in resolution. Adam considers the security cameras as vital. It is important for the handling and transporting of offenders, and the parking lot of the municipal building is a designated place for people to safely exchange goods or children during custodial disputes.

            A Coopersburg security camera installation company estimated the replacement cost at $2,300. This company is experienced in installing security cameras for police departments. The Council approved the request to install the camera security system for the amount quoted.

            Garner received a letter from an attorney representing the owner of a property at 331 Main Street. Liens have been filed since 2006 for payments not received by Waste Management Services. The owner of the property states that they do not utilize those services and should not pay for it. The property is 10 years into collections. With fees and interest, the amount owed to the borough is over $5,000.

            The Council decided to pursue fees owed since Pennsburg has been charged by Waste Management to service the property.