Cecil to Receive More Than $200K in Impact Fee Money

Cecil Township is poised to receive more than $240,000 in local impact fee money related to Marcellus Shale drilling, township Manager Don Gennuso confirmed Tuesday.

He said Solicitor John Smith advised the board of supervisors at its meeting Monday that the money would likely be dispersed before Dec. 1.

The impact money for Cecil and three other local communities had been withheld by the Public Utilities Commission pending reviews of its ordinances to see if they complied with Act 13, the state's new law governing drilling activities. Residents in those communities had requested the reviews.

However, a Commonwealth Court judge last month ruled that the PUC had no authority to review the local gas drilling ordinances which would necessitate the withholding of impact fee money.

In other business Monday, the board announced that it will hold a public meeting with Southpointe-based Range Resources to discuss the relationship between the company and the township, Gennuso said. That meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday in the township building.

Range Resources had previously requested a private meeting with the supervisors.

Two budget meetings were also scheduled—one for Nov. 13 and the other for Nov. 15. Both are open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held in the township building.

Additionally, supervisors continued a special meeting also held Monday regarding changes to its oil and gas drilling ordinance. Gennuso said that language in the document still needed to be tweaked.