Over objections from Allentown officials, Coplay Borough Council passed a resolution opposing the city's plan to lease its waste water treatment plant in order to raise funds to pay pension obligations.

At its Nov. 13 meeting, council unanimously passed Resolution 1360 "expressing opposition" to Allentown's proposed action and encouraging the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority "to do everything possible to protect the ratepayers of Coplay."

"If you have concerns, rather than getting into a resolution ... that says 'we're opposed,' even though you don't know anything about our side ... I would suggest that you confer with your authority members ... [and] if you have concerns lets work our way through them," said Allentown Solicitor Jerry Snyder, who addressed council.

"If you feel it necessary tonight to have something on record ... I would ask you to consider changing one word. Instead of saying expressing 'opposition,' let's express 'concern' so we're working together on this."

"I would like to keep it the same," Councilman Charles Sodl said about the resolution wording.

The resolution, which was the last item on council's agenda, passed without further discussion by a vote of 6-0 with Councilman Michael Mazur absent.

"There is not one member of my board [or] our manager who believes that our rates will remain the same after this thing is leased. Our rates will go up," CWSA Chairman John Schreiner told council.

Coplay officials have said they believe the only way an outside company will get a return on its investment is to raise rates.

"I feel sorry for you but I don't want to pay your bill," said Sodl.

Allentown Finance Director Gary Strathearn told council the companies that would be interested in leasing the plant expect to wait as much as 50 years to get a return.

"They know they can't get that money up front," he said. "They are slow growth."

The growth also comes in small increments. Strathearn said, for example, if an investor paid $200 million to lease the Allentown plant, the return would come over 50 years at $4 million a year spread out over more than 83,000 connections in Allentown alone.

Fifty years may seem like a long time to most people, but, he said, "To a utility, it's not that long of a time."

Strathearn and Snyder both said Allentown has contracts with Coplay and other municipalities that send wastewater for treatment. Those agreements will remain in effect with any company that comes in and takes over the city plant.

In addition to worries existing about rates, officials expressed concerns about Allentown's lack of communication. Until Nov. 12, Schreiner said, no one from the city had communicated with CWSA.

Snyder apologized, blaming email and scheduling glitches.

"We'd be willing to meet any time," Snyder said.

Earlier that day, Snyder met with Council President Lou Bodish and CWSA members for more than 90 minutes. He promised to get back to them with answers to remaining questions.

Whitehall officials also believe Allentown to be unresponsive to the needs of other municipalities. The township passed its own resolution Oct. 8 opposing Allentown's plans.

"It really does come down to a trust issue," said Whitehall Township Mayor Edward D. Hozza, who also spoke at the Coplay meeting.

Hozza said he found out about Allentown's plans for its wastewater treatment plant from the news media, rather than from Allentown officials.

"We were not brought into any type of meeting or called," he said.