The water rate increase in Salisbury Township will be reflected in residents’ April billing.

“This increase, residents won’t see until their April bill,” Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich said before a vote on a resolution to increase water rates, effective Jan. 1.

Commissioners voted 5-0 at the Dec. 9, 2021, township meeting, on a motion by Commissioner Alok Patnaik and seconded by commissioner Vice President Rodney Conn, to approve the resolution to increase the water rate.

The water rate increases 35 cents, from $7 to $7.35 per 1,000 gallons.

For a family that uses 20,000 gallons of water per quarter, the increase is $10 per quarter or $40 annually, or an average increase of $3 per month.

The water rate increase is a pass-along from the Lehigh County Authority.

In other business at the Dec. 9 meeting, which was the only commissioners meeting held in December, commissioners voted 5-0, in separate votes:

•On a motion by Conn and seconded by Commissioner James Seagreaves to approve an ordinance to amend the nonuniformed defined benefit pension plan to set the employee contribution rate for 2022.

According to the ordinance, the township and the Salisbury Township Public Works Employees Association, the collective bargaining representatives of the township’s nonmanagerial public works employees, entered into a collective bargaining agreement Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2022.

The ordinance states: “The amendment to the defined benefit plan reducing the employee contribution rate for 2022 from 3.5 percent of compensation to 2.5 percent of compensation does not change the cost of the plan, but only the allocation of payment between the township and the employees.

“For every $1 that the employee is not required to pay in to the plan, the township will have to contribute an additional $1. The reduction for 2022 means that the township must pay an extra one percent of all members’ compensation for 2022 more than it would have if there had been no reduction.”

The ordinance continues: “However, for many years before 2019, the township eliminated employee contributions each year, and in 2019 the employee contribution rate was reduced to one percent of compensation, and so in 2022 the township will actually be taking on a lesser portion of the ‘regular’ employee contributions stated in the plan agreement than in previous years.”

•A motion was made by Commissioner Heather Lipkin and seconded by Conn to approve a motion for the nonuniformed defined contribution pension plan funding for 2021.

•A motion was made by Conn and seconded by Lipkin to approve a resolution to set the police pension plan employee contribution rate for 2022.

The resolution states: “The police pension consultant employed by the township prepared the Jan. 1, 2021 actuarial report valuation. The township certified its annual minimum municipal obligation for 2022, which includes a financial requirement to the police pension plan of $422,346.

“The township determined that state aid will be insufficient to pay for the total financial requirement, therefore necessitating the police to contribute to the plan an amount equal to 3.04 percent of a police department member’s annual compensation during 2022 to the township police pension fund.

•A motion was made by Seagreaves and approved by Patnaik to approve an ordinance to enter into a cable franchise agreement with Service Electric Cable TV.

The free drop, outlet and standard service package will be provided at the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.; annex building, 3000 S. Pike Ave.; public works facility, 3000 S. Pike Ave.; water pumping stations: pumping station Flexer Avenue and Green Acres Drive, 1709 Cardinal Drive, Riverside Industrial Drive, Authority Spiegle Street, Franko Farm House, 1301 Black River Road and Eastern Salisbury Fire Station, 1000 E. Emmaus Ave.

Township meetings resume in January in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

The board of commissioners reorganization meeting was held 6 p.m. Jan. 3.

The zoning hearing board meets 7 p.m. Jan. 12.

The commissioners next meet 7 p.m. Jan. 13.

The environmental advisory council meets 7 p.m. Jan. 19.

The planning commission meets 7 p.m. Jan. 26.

The commissioners meet 7 p.m. Jan. 27.