City council postpones vote on City Authority termination

LOCK HAVEN, PA – After an extended discussion with principals from the Lock Haven City Authority, City Council decided Monday night to postpone a vote to terminate the authority involved in overseeing the city’s water system.

June Houser, authority chairman, and Rich Marcinkevage, former city manager now providing engineering services for the authority, discussed with council city plans to form a new authority with representatives from Castanea and Wayne townships, both municipalities with city water service customers.

Council member Barbara Masorti said there are “a lot of questions to be answered…. logistics to be worked out.” The new authority approach is seen by the city as a way around the present need to go through the state Public Utility Commission for rate increase approvals, seen as increasing the costs to hike water rates. Authority chairman Houser said rate increase should continue to have to go through the PUC.

There were some inferences that the city is seeking to sell its system but council member Doug Byerly said the discussion at council’s Monday meeting was simply to discuss formation of a joint authority; “not talking about selling the system.” He said that could be a topic “five to ten years from now.” Councilperson Masorti agreed, stating the discussion to date is to join with Castanea and Wayne township representatives to bring the three municipalities together; she said a recent meeting with them was “very positive” and there is nothing “sneaky or underhanded” in what the parties are attempting to do.

Also Monday council agreed to award the bid for a new skatepark at Hoberman Park to Skateboard Supercross LLC of Miami, FL, the amount $726,181.

City manager Wilson informed council that Commonwealth University – Lock Haven has sent the city $2,716 towards emergency services provided the school. The money represents $1 for each student there, a $1 increase over the $2,715 allocated to the city in 2022.