Vernon MUA director sets record straight
As Executive Director of the Vernon Township Municipal Utilities Authority, I would like to inform the residents of Vernon Township of the sequence of events regarding the VFW. There has been a lot of misinformation tossed around alleging the VFW having difficulty working with the VTMUA.
Let me get right to the point:
Correspondence between the VTMUA and the VFW began on April 20, 2012, with a letter from the VTMUA informing them of the need to hook up to the sewer system by July 1, 2013. This letter also informed them they were eligible for a 50 percent reduction in the connection fee if they connected by March 31, 2013.
On July 16, 2012, the VFW sent a letter to the MUA indicating they could not afford to hook up to the sewer system, and given their current financial position (due to internal affairs) they may have to close if this burden was not lifted.
VTMUA sent a second letter to the VFW on Aug. 26, 2013, informing them, once again, they were still not connected to the sewer system. After speaking with the former Post Commander and Sanders Construction, the contractor who agreed to perform the connection for free, an application was received on Aug. 13, 2013 for sewer connection.
During this time, the VTMUA explored fundraising opportunities and grants for the VFW and also requested information from the VFW about where the easement fees went. It was later discovered those easement fees were no longer available due to the VFW’s own internal affairs, placing the VFW in their current financial position.
On Sept. 10, 2013, Sanders Construction submitted to the VTMUA a plan to connect the VFW. Preliminary review by the VTMUA Engineer showed that the VFW facility had an EDU value of 7.5. After a meeting between the VFW and the VTMUA, the VTMUA agreed to review the EDU count again because the VFW said they were not making full use of their facility. The VFW explained they were not cooking for events but catering them, which were few at that. The VTMUA agreed to inspect the facility to see a typical setup for an event.
After the inspection of the VFW site and the number of seats counted in the facility, the VTMUA established a new estimate of 4.5 EDUs. At the October 2013 meeting, the VTMUA commissioners unanimously passed a resolution and lowered the count to 4.5 EDUs.
Accordingly, the VTMUA started billing the VFW on July 1, 2013, as they did all customers. In June 2014, the VFW once again asked the VTMUA to waive their hookup requirements, saying they still could not afford to connect. By law, the VTMUA is not permitted to waive the requirement, nor is the mayor and council. However, the VTMUA granted the VFW an extension to June 2015, giving them additional time to get their financial affairs in order.
In June 2015, current VFW Commander Jim Davis and the current VFW Operations Manager contacted the VTMUA about paying their back fees. At this time, they began to pay the delinquent sewer fees.
On Aug. 20, 2015 the VFW, once again, was granted a second extension to June 2016, which was granted. In addition, the VFW also requested a Hardship Payment Plan from the VTMUA, and that was granted on Sept. 17, 2015.
The VTMUA is and has been working closely and cooperatively with the VFW and its current commander to assist them in getting their requirements satisfied.\
I respectfully invite anyone to visit our office if you are interested in discussing this further or would like to view the documents that support the above statements.
John Scerbo
Executive Director
Vernon Township Municipal Utilities Authority