Resolution 2026-01 and the MS4 program was discussed at the Lowhill Township Board of Supervisors Jan. 5 meeting.

Chairman Curtis Dietrich said Resolution 2026-01 is a resolution of the Board of Supervisors of Lowhill Township to establish permit, inspection and user fees.

“This would cover a wide variety of things that we do have ordinances for, and there’s various costs associated with it, specifically the building code, plumbing code, electric code, mechanical code, workmanship of the driveway and road occupancy ordinance, zoning ordinances, subdivision land development ordinances, permit ordinances, sanitary sewer use and connection ordinance, the sewage permit ordinance, driveway road opening ordinance and fire alarm ordinance,” Dietrich said.

A number of attachments and schedules describe all of the above and list the associated fees that go with them.

Township Manager Mike Siegel said, after looking at several of the neighboring townships, that the fees are in line with what they charge.

He added if a person does not need a permit, they do not get charged a fee.

“The biggest change in the whole entire fee schedule is that now we charge an application fee based off a percentage rather than a smaller set amount because we are recovering our funds for our handling of those permits,” Siegel said.

Township Secretary Jill Seymour said all this information will be posted to the website.

During his monthly report, Siegel said the township got a waiver request for its MS4 program.

According to the township’s website, “MS4 is untreated or uncontrolled storm water runoff, the number one cause of impairment in our local waterways. Polluted runoff is often transported through municipal drainage systems until it eventually discharges into streams, lakes, and rivers untreated.

“An MS4, or Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, is comprised of drainage systems, including streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels and storm pipes, owned by a state, county, city, town, township, borough or other public entity.”

Siegel said the waiver is a five-year waiver for not having to do storm water infrastructure in this township.

“I wanted to make sure we had it in hand in time for our budget in case something came up. So, it has been granted, and it is good for five years,” he said.

Siegel said both he and Ryan Christman, the township engineer, were amazed at how quickly the state DEP issued that waiver. Every municipality surrounding Lowhill Township has an MS4 program, he said.