UPDATED: 3:01 p.m., Tuesday:

In an afternoon statement, Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority Board Chairperson John Cordisco announced he will ask the rest of the board to halt exploring a $1.1 billion offer from Aqua Pennsylvania to sell the authority’s wastewater system.

The controversial sale offer has received nearly universal negative reaction from ratepayers, local activists, and local government officials. On Tuesday, as LevittownNow.com first reported, all three county commissioners announced they were against the deal.

Cordisco’s statement said he never wanted the authority’s actions to conflict commissioners’ point of view.

Cordisco issued the following statement:

“We appreciate the County Commissioners reviewing the proposed offer from Aqua Pennsylvania for our wastewater assets and for providing the BCWSA Board with their direction. We understand the value of getting all the facts and understanding every detail on behalf of Bucks County’s residents, especially for an acquisition valued at more than $1.1 billion. We had a fiduciary responsibility to conduct our own examination and due diligence to determine what would be the best outcome for our customers, communities and employees. We conducted a comprehensive outreach and fact gathering process and said from the beginning that no decision would be made until we obtained all necessary feedback. I commend the BCWSA staff who worked tirelessly over the last several months to examine every possible inch of the proposal and to ensure we did everything we could to meet with residents, stakeholders and our 75,000 retail wastewater customers, addressing all their questions along the way.

“We respect Commissioners Harvie and Ellis-Marseglia’s opinions and have always believed their position on the proposed sale would be vitally important to any decision we make. We were never going to be in conflict with the commissioners’ position. As such, I have informed the BCWSA board members that I do not support moving forward with the proposed offer, and we will determine the next appropriate steps. Additionally, I agree with the commissioners that harsh realities do await in the form of significant system repairs, and we will continue to work with the county to find solutions to alleviate the impact on our customers and communities we serve.”

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, chairperson of the Bucks County Democratic Committee and a lawmaker from Lower Makefield Township, released the following statement on the proposed sale of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority’s sewer system: 

“I want to thank Commissioners Harvie and Marseglia for standing up for the public’s interest in opposing the proposed sale of the county sewer system. They understand that public assets — such as a sewer system — are best held by a public entity like the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority. If the system were to be sold to a private entity, public control — and, critically, a great degree of accountability to the ratepayer — would be lost forever. 

While the Authority faces challenges moving forward — indeed, it was those challenges that precipitated the discussion of a sale in the first place — I am certain that its Board of Directors will continue to work together to meet them in a manner that best serves ratepayers and our communities. So, I also want to thank the Board, its professional staff, and all of the Authority’s workers for the service they provide to the people of Bucks County, and, I trust, will continue to provide for many years to come.” 

Santarsiero also sent a letter from his elected office Tuesday to Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority CEO Benjamin Jones opposing the sale.

UPDATED: 2:30 p.m., Tuesday:

As of Tuesday afternoon, all three Bucks County Commissioners have released statements in opposition of the sale of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority’s wastewater system to Aqua Pennsylvania.

Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican, issued the following statement opposing the sale:

Over the last few months, I’ve been paying close attention as the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority has gathered information on the potential sale of the sewer system. From what I have read and heard in the news, and from both private county residents and municipal leaders, it is beyond obvious that this is an issue that strikes a nerve with the people I and the other Commissioners have been elected to represent. 

BCWSA has a responsibility to hear out this proposal from Aqua, Inc., and I appreciate the diligence of the authority’s board and staff, who have worked hard to navigate these negotiations transparently while keeping the public informed.  

However, given the remaining uncertainties around the potential sale, and the sheer amount of public opposition to it, that it is in the best interests of the people of Bucks County that the authority end its negotiations with Aqua, Inc. 

Original Story:

Two of the Bucks County Commissioners on Tuesday came out against the potential $1.1 billion sale of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority’s wastewater system to Aqua Pennsylvania.

The move marks major opposition against the sale of the system that serves about 100,000 retail sewer customers mainly throughout Bucks County and numerous wholesale customers in the region.

Commissioners Chairperson Bob Harvie and Vice Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia, both Democrats, issued statements just past 10:15 a.m. stating they are against the deal and want the authority to not move forward. They both said they understood why the offer from Aqua and explored.

Harvie said he spoke with John Cordisco, the former head of the county Democratic party and chairperson of the authority board of directions, to ask the authority ends negotiations with Aqua.

“As a Bucks County Commissioner, I don’t have a direct vote on whether or not a sale should happen, but I and the other Commissioners do have the power to change the charter of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority,” he said, stating the option of altering or curtailing the charter is on the table.

Ellis-Marseglia stated she has heard the negative feedback on the proposal from the public and municipal leaders.

“While the financial aspect of this deal is a reasonable alternative given the expensive infrastructure work ahead, what we heard from the public was clear, nonpartisan, and near-universal: do not sell off the publicly-run BCWSA sewer system to a private entity. Fear of ballooning rates, as evidenced by similar takeovers around the country, and loss of a well-managed, highly-regarded public utility topped the feedback I have received,” she said.

Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican, did not issue a statement. LevittownNow.com has asked him for comment.

The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority was reviewing the statements and did not immediately have comment.

The county chartered the authority in 1962, and the commissioners – two Democrats and one Republican – don’t have any official authority to approve or deny the sale. However, the authority board said they would take the commissioners thoughts into consideration.

If the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors does agree to a sale of the sewer system, the chartering organization, which is the county commissioners, could see the funds go into public coffers.

The county could net as much as $1 billion in profit from the sale of the system.

While the sale would be a windfall, numerous municipalities, grassroots groups, and residents have opposed any proposed sale, which would increase sewer rates and move control from a public organization with direct input from ratepayers to a national for-profit company that has shareholders.

Aqua has pushed to convince ratepayers that the sale would make sense, and the authority has said it would lead to improvements to the system by the for-profit firm.

Residents have called on the commissioners to oppose the sale. Some have even floated the idea that the county’s governing body should strip the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority of their charter, which would require a new entity to run the system.

The commissioners’ announcement comes a day before NOPE, a group opposed to the sale, and others are set to rally outside the Bucks County Administration Building in Doylestown Borough to voice opposition of the sale.

Below is Harvie’s full statement:

For the past several months, there have been many questions and much concern about the possibility  that part of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority will be sold to a private company. We have  heard those concerns from our residents and from elected officials throughout the county, and we  thank them for being advocates for our county. 

There are some advantages private companies have over public utilities, just as there are areas where  public utilities have advantages over private companies. The Authority’s Board members have been  exploring the possibility of a sale because they take seriously their responsibility to do what is in the best  interests of their customers. The Authority has been acting as they should, asking questions, exploring  options, weighing the benefits and costs. I respect their professionalism and their efforts to be transparent through this process.  

The purchase of public utilities by private companies has accelerated in recent years and while we don’t  yet know what the long-term effects of these purchases will be, we do know that they have led to  increased costs for customers.  

Because neither the Commissioners nor our staff have been part of the negotiations, the County had  many questions we needed answered. We sent about 50 questions to the BCWSA and posted them  publicly. The Authority promptly answered those questions for us, and their answers were also made  public. Speaking for myself, the answers we received did give me more clarity on this issue, but also  raised some additional questions.  

While I see much potential in adding an estimated billion dollars to the County treasury, I cannot say  that I feel comfortable with this transaction. I did speak with the Chair of the Authority to ask that he  and the rest of the Board stop any negotiations and not sell any of the BCWSA operations. As a Bucks  

County Commissioner, I don’t have a direct vote on whether or not a sale should happen, but I and the  other Commissioners do have the power to change the charter of the Bucks County Water and Sewer  Authority.  

Following my conversation with the Chairman of the Authority I believe the board of the BCWSA will do  what is necessary to end discussions with Aqua, Inc.

Below is Ellis-Marseglia’s full statement:

Today, I am calling on the Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority to end consideration of its proposed  sale to Aqua, Inc. I have carefully reviewed all information available regarding this sale and cannot  recommend that the BCWSA continue to entertain Aqua, Inc.’s proposal. 

I greatly appreciate the diligent work of the BCWSA, its board and staff in vetting this proposal and  maintaining transparency with the public by holding town halls, public meetings, and responding  promptly to the Commissioners’ concerns and questions. When $1.1 billion was offered, BCWSA, whose  systems may face over $250 million in upcoming repairs, had a fiduciary responsibility to thoroughly  research the proposal and listen to feedback from the public, weighing pros and cons.   

While the financial aspect of this deal is a reasonable alternative given the expensive infrastructure work  ahead, what we heard from the public was clear, nonpartisan, and near-universal: do not sell off the  publicly-run BCWSA sewer system to a private entity. Fear of ballooning rates, as evidenced by similar  takeovers around the country, and loss of a well-managed, highly-regarded public utility topped the  feedback I have received.   

Granted, the Commissioners do not have the power to approve or deny any such sale – that  responsibility rests with the independent BCWSA – we can only advocate a position on behalf of Bucks  County residents. That said, the Commissioners do appoint the BCWSA board and reserve the power to  dissolve the authority entirely, and I trust that the members of the BCWSA will do what’s in the best  interest of the ratepayers.  

To be clear, this doesn’t get us out of the woods. Harsh realities do await in the form of the  aforementioned system repairs, an issue that will eventually face ratepayers. But I believe we can find  solutions to those issues without involving the sale of one of our public institutions to a private  corporation, under which we’d no longer have any oversight.

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