Middletown Establishes Permanent Stormwater Advisory Committee

To go along with Middletown Township’s new stormwater fee, a new permanent Stormwater Advisory Committee is being seated.

The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors established a new permanent Stormwater Advisory Committee and appointed five members to oversee stormwater issues and appeals related to the township’s new stormwater fee. The committee was approved and members appointed last month.

The new committee will handle appeals from residents contesting stormwater fee calculations, provide oversight for future stormwater improvements and serve as a central point for feedback on stormwater concerns.

The new committee replaces an ad-hoc committee that assisted with the implementation of the Stormwater Impact Fee, which took effect earlier this year. The fee is $60 annually for single-family properties, with other residential and commercial properties assessed on a scale tied to impervious area.

The five-member board will serve staggered three-year terms to ensure continuity. One member received a one-year term, two members received two-year terms and two members received three-year terms.

Joe Fitch was appointed to a one-year term. Fitch, a township resident for more than 50 years, lives in an area significantly affected by stormwater and previously served on the original advisory board that investigated the stormwater fee’s implementation.

Russ Hartman and Chris Haughey were appointed to two-year terms. Hartman is a Penn State master watershed steward with experience in riparian buffers, stream health and stormwater management. He holds a bachelor’s degree from LaSalle University and a master’s degree from Rutgers University. Haughey has lived in the township for over 30 years and is a Temple University graduate. He worked for an engineering firm for more than 20 years doing municipal work, including stormwater management, and currently works for the Morrisville Municipal Authority.

John Pflaumer and Andrew McAloon received three-year appointments. Pflaumer has lived in the township for over 25 years and worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as an environmental scientist. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University and a master’s degree from Virginia Tech and served in both the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. McAloon has served on the township’s Environmental Advisory Committee for many years and has lived in the township for 40 years. He is a registered professional engineer with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Villanova University and an MBA from Robert Morris University.

“We look forward to your good work in helping the township understand its stormwater needs and prioritizing stormwater projects and how best to utilize the funds that will be generated,” Supervisor Chairman Mike Ksiazek said.

Assistant Township Manager Nick Valla said the new committee will also provide “longterm oversight and guidance for future stormwater improvements” using proceeds from the stormwater impact fee.

Township Engineer Isaac Kessler explained that the township has begun an appeals process where staff will visit properties to review stormwater fee calculations, including for non-residential properties where fees are calculated using a tiered system based on impervious coverage.

Ksiazek noted the township received numerous qualified applications for the committee positions, making the selection process challenging.

“It’s actually unfortunate that we could not appoint everyone who applied because we got some really, really great applications,” Ksiazek said. “For anybody who does not get appointed tonight, I would encourage you to stay engaged because openings will come up in the future for this committee, but we also have other opportunities in the community, in the township, other boards and commissions that folks can serve on.”

Supervisor Dawn Quirple said she was “really impressed with all of the applications that we got and how well qualified everybody was. It was definitely difficult and I would encourage everybody that didn’t get picked to keep involved and keep, there’s other positions and some of these positions are going to be opening up.”

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