Theft, fee increase unrelated in Harmony, Beaver County, interim manager says

May 01--Residents of a small Beaver County township upset about a recent increase in sewage fees can be assured it had nothing to do with the alleged theft of nearly $200,000 by a former municipal employee, a township official said.

Any financial impact related to the criminal case against Lyla Swan will not be known until it is closed, interim Harmony manager Virginia Finnegan said.

A preliminary hearing for Swan, 57, of Ambridge is scheduled on June 10. She faces 17 felony charges related to allegations she stole more than $190,000 while serving as the township's secretary. More than $150,000 of that came from sewer accounts, officials said.

"It's just bad timing," Finnegan said, explaining that the rate increase was necessary because nearby municipalities in Beaver County that provide water and sewer service to Harmony raised their fees. "We were paying more to get rid of sewer than we were charging customers."

Quarterly bills rose from $100 to $121 for the township's roughly 1,400 customers, Finnegan said. Ambridge, Baden and Leet provide sewer service.

Resident Lynn DiMarzio said she was shocked by her recent sewer bill. When she bought her Lenz Avenue home 20 years ago, she said the bill was $40 every three months.

DiMarzio said she thought the latest increase was tied to Swan's case. She wasn't happy to find out otherwise

because that means another increase could be coming.

A township insurance policy would cover only some of the loss.

"It just seems like everything keeps going up and up and up," said DiMarzio, 51.

In March, Harmony officials announced sewer rates would increase because the township no longer could absorb higher costs for the service. Ambridge charges $116 per residence to treat Harmony sewage.

The township was losing about $65,000 a year. "We can't be at a loss," Finnegan said.

An Ambridge official could not be reached to find out how much its residents pay for sewage service.

Finnegan said some Harmony residents might have been shocked by their sewage bills because the township eliminated the practice of billing some customers every other month. Everyone now will be billed quarterly, she said, in an effort to save money and streamline the process.

DiMarzio now pays about $265 quarterly for garbage, sewer and water.

"If it keeps going up, I'm going to have to go and build an outhouse in the back yard," DiMarzio said half-jokingly.

Jason Cato is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7936 or jcato@tribweb.com.

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