No action from Frackville on landfill at Thursday’s meeting
FRACKVILLE – For the second month in a row, Frackville Borough Council tabled any action on the North Schuylkill Landfill Association’s plan to wind-down operations and distribute its remaining funds.
The lack of action and discussion comes after the matter was raised at the Oct. 10 council meeting and again at an executive session on Oct. 21. Thursday’s council meeting agenda noted that executive session lasted an hour and a half.
Councilman Stephen Tertel sought a motion to table the release and agreement distributed by the North Schuylkill Landfill Association which would allow for the disbursement of the association’s remaining funds as it moves closer to dissolving.
Three municipalities this week reported that Frackville was putting up a “roadblock” to the wind-down.
“From what I understand, Frackville is the hold-up,” Robert Matta, solicitor for Ringtown and Union Township, said at Tuesday’s Union Township meeting. “All the other municipalities have approved the distribution. To Union Township, it’s a little over $205,000. But now Frackville has put up a roadblock and they are challenging the non-charter municipalities.”
“Frackville is saying they shouldn’t be able to participate in the monies that are to be distributed,” Matta said. “Everybody is in the same boat waiting for this money to be distributed.”
The North Schuylkill Landfill Association has existed in limbo since the landfill itself closed in 1990 and the transfer station built at the site was sold in 2010.
The association has been working toward winding down and dissolving. It has just over $3.5 Million on hand that it plans to split evenly between the 17 member municipalities.
All but four are considered “charter,” or full members. Four — Ashland, Gordon, Butler Township, and McAdoo — are not.
Matta said that, worst case scenario, the distribution is delayed by up to a year and is reviewed by a court, cutting into the proceeds for all 17 municipalities.
For some members, like Union Township and Gilberton Borough, $200,000 is a massive amount compared to their budget, Matta said.
The figure makes up half of Girardville’s 2025 tentative budget as approved Wednesday night.
Ringtown Council President Len Kamarousky said Tuesday the difference between including the non-charters and excluding them is about $20,000.
“Instead of $220,000, we would get $202,000, handed to us,” Kamarousky said. “What’s the big deal?”
“For each of those 17 boroughs to get $200,000 as a gift for being members of an association, what’s the sting,” Kamarousky asked.
Micquelynn Kapuschinsky contributed to this article.
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