Supervisors tackle energy rate hikes, development concerns

Milford Township has reached out to the Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate to discuss Pike County Light and Power’s (PCLP) proposed energy rate increase. The last time the company raised rates was two years ago. Outages were cited as being one of the most repeated issues among concerned costumers. The township is also trying to switch over all the street lights to LED to cut back on spending, as the yearly cost for non-LED light is about $10,000 annually.

PCLP serves between 4,000 and 5,000 customers in the area. It was acquired by the private investment firm Argo Infrastructure Partners in July 2022, having previously been owned by Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation, who gained ownership from Orange and Rockland, a parent company of Con Edison, in 2016. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission did pause a gas increase that PCLP had recently proposed for the area, pushing the increase back until October.

Santos Farm

The public continued to voice its displeasure and concern about the future of the Santos Farm property. The proposed building complex just half a mile from Milford Borough, which already experiences heavy traffic, raised concerns about increased traffic and potential harm to local businesses. Job growth is anticipated; however, a resident expressed concern that new businesses might displace existing ones, resulting in job losses.

Another Milford Borough resident spoke against the project, saying, “Not positive, that’s for sure.”

The project is still in its early stages. The developer must first complete the process of applying for a conditional use permit. Zoning and conditional use applications are processed as follows: the zoning office reviews the application before forwarding it to the planning committee, then it is sent to the Board of Supervisors for review and recommendation, then the supervisors hold a public comment period. Such projects are typically only stopped if a negative impact to the health, safety, and welfare of residents is scientifically proven.

Other business

While the area hasn’t been hit with any major storms in the past few weeks, ice, freezing temperatures and two to three inches of snow have kept the road crews busy. Pennsylvania is experiencing a statewide shortage in rock salt, but the township has been delivered all its salt for the season.

The board received clarification from the county about the spongy moth aggregation plan. The county will allow homeowners to come together for spraying. A task force is in the process of being organized. The supervisors will request a Zoom feature be added to make the task force more accessible.

A joint meeting will be held between the supervisors, the planning commission, and the water authority in March to update language for changes to various ordinances. The planning commission has also requested a zoning map update that will be sent to the county planning department before being advertised.