LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Starting the first of the year, township residents with valid proof of residency will be able to take leaves, grass, shrubbery and tree trimmings to Saucon Valley Compost Center for free.
The agreement, what's said to be part of settling litigation between Hellertown and Lower Saucon, was approved Wednesday by township council in a 3-1 vote.
Councilman Thomas Carocci was opposed. Councilman Jason Banonis was absent.
For the past two years, township residents have had to pay a $25 annual charge to drop off their yard waste.
The agreement
Other features of the broader agreement, as described by Lower Saucon officials, include:
- A $20,000 annual fee (subject to inflation) from the township, paid to the borough to handle operations, would provide Lower Saucon residents access to the compost center
- An access agreement effective from Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31. 2029
- The borough provides access cards to the township; residents show proper proof of residency and are presented with a card
- A township credit of $22,881.14 would completely satisfy 2025 services and cover part of the 2026 fee
- Settling issues of zoning violations at the compost center and associated, outstanding costs
- Hellertown acknowledging that Lower Saucon contributed to the cost of a borough pool building and gets a proper credit back; pool passes would be provided for township residents
- Re-entering the Council of Governments, which once included representation from Saucon Valley School District, Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township
- Reaffirming mutual aid agreement between borough and township police forces.
'A step in the right direction'
Township solicitor Steven Goudsouzian said of the agreement: “It would settle the issues with regard to zoning violations at the compost center, it would settle the issues with regard to various costs and expenses relating to the compost center, and put the litigation between the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon behind both parties.”
He said he was informed Hellertown this week voted to go ahead with the agreement.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction to restore the community relations that we’ve had for many years."Lower Saucon Township Councilwoman Victoria Opthof-Cordaro
Township residents previously had full access to the compost center at 2011 Springtown Hill Road, which, at one point, was jointly operated by the borough and township.
It’s located within Lower Saucon Township, but Hellertown currently owns the land and operates the compost center there.
Lower Saucon Councilwoman Victoria Opthof-Cordaro said the agreement would not only save the township money, but also settle tensions between the municipalities as a whole.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction to restore the community relations that we’ve had for many years,” Opthof-Cordaro said.
Some rough numbers
She said that while she didn’t have numbers showing total use of the township’s yard waste facility at 2150 Polk Valley Road, she did have some data handy — courtesy of Interim Township Manager Cathy Gorman and Public Works Director Roger Rasich — showing resident use of the Saucon Valley Compost Center.
She said 2022 was the last year folks in the township could use their residency to access the facility — with 2,732 visits that year alone.
In 2023, there were 811 visits to the compost center, requiring an annual $25 resident access fee for the first time.
Not including December, this year has seen 1,187 visits.
“I never received one email from a resident about the compost center — not one,” Carocci said.
Ophthof-Cordaro cited $28,110.83 covers staffing, a drop-off fee for a third-party mulching company and other associated charges.
Fighting Hellertown over the matter has led to more than $15,000 in court costs, she said.
A push to table
Carocci said he wished the proposal would wait to see a vote until the next township meeting.
“They’re not being completely honest. Now, they could have tabled this so that the public could have a chance to review it."Lower Saucon Township Councilman Thomas Carocci
“They’re not being completely honest,” Carocci said of Gousouzian and the council majority. “Now, they could have tabled this so that the public could have a chance to review it.
“And we have a meeting Dec. 18; we could have voted to approve it then. None of this goes into effect until next year, anyway.”
Carocci said that “if you straighten a couple things out and let the public weigh in” at the next meeting, he may have even voted in favor of the agreement.
He pushed to table the motion, which never gained steam among the other council members.
