Houses in Lynwood Farms expect $10,000 cost to hook up
By Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writer
MANSFIELD —The Township Committee is set to vote Sept. 12 on whether to bring sewer service to homes in Lynwood Farms at a cost of $10,000 per household, plus a one-time hookup fee.
Joseph Monzo, Robert Higgins, and Kenneth Denti of the Mansfield Township Assessment Commission made a recommendation that the committee accept the 100-page report from Allen Black, of Todd & Black, a Cherry Hill-based appraiser. Mr. Black was hired by the township to determine what each house in the Lynwood Farms neighborhood would pay for the sewer service.
The 43 households affected were sent a certified letter during the last week of July, letting residents know that the cost of the sewer project would be $10,000 if they choose to hook into the system now. Although hookup is not mandatory, it is encouraged because when an owner decides to sell his house the hookup would be mandatory at that time. This $10,000 figure does not include the one-time sewer hookup fees that covers the cost of connecting the house to the pipes in the street, which was expected to be in the $5,000 range in the late 1990s when the project was first discussed.
Residents would not have to pay the entire $10,000 up front, instead they would have the option to pay it off over 20 years.
The commissioners have had a month to review the report, and Mr. Black gave a summary of the presentation to approximately 40 residents at the meeting on Aug. 22. He said improvements like this are a general benefit to the township, and that they “protect the safety and welfare of the entire community.”
One Lynwood Farms resident asked whether his property tax bill would go up, and the commissioners assured him that the $10,000 fee is a separate entity from the home assessment.
”If your home is assessed at $400,000, this is not going to make the figure $410,000. Property taxes will not reflect this amount,” added Township Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Joseph Monzo.
An additional 6,000 gallons of sewage per day would be generated by the Lynwood Farms houses once they are connected, which is within the capacity of the nearby Homestead Treatment Plant to process.
Bob Harris, a township resident who does not live in the Lynwood Farms, asked officials what costs would be passed on to the rest of the township.
Mr. Monzo stated that the cost, which is approximately $1.2 million, will be divided into two parts: $430,000 paid for by the 43 Lynwood residences, and the rest absorbed by the township into its debt service.
Some residents outside of the Lynwood Farms development had asked what they were getting for the money if they couldn’t make use of the sewer systems themselves.
Township Engineer Michael McGee said at the meeting that he too is a local taxpayer and would have to bear in part the payment of the sewer installation over time.
”By statute, we are not allowed to take the $1.2 million figure and just divide it among the 43 residences and make them pay for it,” he said.
Committee member LaVerne Cholewa said that the sewer would have a positive effect on the property values of all surrounding houses in Mansfield.
Bob Tallon, a resident and environmental specialist, said having residents hook up to the sewer system could eliminate septic concerns, and the runoff of human waste into the surrounding waterways, specifically Liberty Lakes, a park and pond that is rented out to groups who use it for recreation.
The original deadline for requesting sewer hookup was scheduled for Sept. 15, but Ms. Cholewa suggested that the committee move the deadline back, and the rest of the committee agreed to move back the date until Nov. 30.

