Stephano & Quick v. Twp. of St. Thomas

39 Pa. D. & C.3d 563, 1985 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 185
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County
DecidedSeptember 5, 1985
Docketno. vol. 7
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 39 Pa. D. & C.3d 563 (Stephano & Quick v. Twp. of St. Thomas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stephano & Quick v. Twp. of St. Thomas, 39 Pa. D. & C.3d 563, 1985 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 185 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1985).

Opinion

EPPINGER, P.J.,

In these cases which have been consolidated and were brought to restrain the Township of Saint Thomas (township) and the Saint Thomas Township Municipal Authority (authority) from constructing a sewer system, there are'really only four interests. Plaintiff in the one case is Franklin Properties, a [564]*564partnership owning mobile parks in the township. Plaintiffs in the other case are a group of people called St. Thomas Concerned Citizens and individual members of the group (concerned citizens). Defendants in both cases are the township and the authority. The supervisors and the members of the authority have been joined in their individual capacities.

The project was set to go ahead after three ordinances were passed by the township, the first approving an agreement between the township and-the authority under which the authority was to build and operate the sewer system. The second ordinance required certain owners to connect to and use the system, and the third granted the authority certain rights and privileges along township roads.

When Franklin Properties and concerned citizens filed their complaints, the township and the authority filed preliminary objections consisting of motions to strike and demurrers. These are now before us.

The principles to be applied when ruling upon a demurrer are well established. A demurrer can only be sustained where the complaint is clearly insufficient to establish the pleader’s right to relief. Firing v. Kephart, 466 Pa. 560, 563-64, 353 A.2d 833, 835 (1976). For the purpose of testing the legal sufficiency of a complaint, a demurrer admits as true all well-pleaded, material, relevant facts, Savitz v. Weinstein, 395 Pa. 173, 174, 149 A.2d 110, 111 (1959); March v. Banus, 395 Pa. 629, 632, 151 A.2d 612, 614 (1959), and every inference fairly deduc-idle from those facts, Hoffman v. Misericordia Hospital of Philadelphia, 439 Pa. 501, 504, 267 A.2d 867, 868 (1970); Stein v. Richardson, 302 Pa. Super. 124, 136, 448 A.2d 558, 564 (1982). The pleader’s conclusions or averments of law are not consid[565]*565ered to be admitted as true by a demurrer. Savitz, supra at 174, 111.

It must appear with certainty that upon the facts alleged in the complaints the law will not allow plaintiffs to recover. Pike County Hotels Corp. v. Kiefer, 262 Pa. Super. 126, 133, 396 A.2d 677, 681 (1978). If the facts as pleaded state a claim for which relief may be granted, a preliminary objection in the nature of a demurrer must be rejected. County of Allegheny v. Commonwealth, 507 Pa. 360, 490 A.2d 402, 408 (1985).

Both plaintiffs contend the construction of this sewer is limited by the provisions of the Second Class Township Code, governing construction of sewers and drains, 53 Pa.C.S. §65101 et seq. Both defendants contend that the sewer is being constructed under the provisions of the Municipality Authority Act of 1945, 53 Pa.C.S. §301 et seq.

Franklin Properties’ parks are now served by sewer systems installed under permits from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources. It is their argument that 53 Pa.C.S §66501(d) prohibits the township from requiring them to connect to another system. Since 53 Pa.C.S. §66502 permits 60 percent of the total property owners to veto a sewer construction plan if they file a protest in the prothonotary’s office, and concerned citizens allege they have done this, it is their contention the project may not proceed.

Concerned citizens also argue that the provisions of 53 Pa.C.S. §66502 requiring advertisement of the sewer ordinances once a week for three weeks [have] not been complied with. There was only one advertisement.

This is plainly a case where a municipal authority is constructing a sewer, and it would seem the Municipality Authorities Act should apply. Franklin [566]*566Properties and the concerned citizens claim that the township’s “intensive involvement” in the program makes it a township project. But 53 Pa.C.S. §66501.1 authorizes the township to participate in many ways when a sewer system is being built by a municipal authority. We will discuss the issues raised by Franklin Properties and the concerned citizens, but we conclude that this proposed installation is governed by the Municipality Authorities Act and not the Second Class Township Code.

As the Second Class Township Code, 53 Pa.C.S. §66501.1, clearly indicates, the Municipality Authorities Act applies when the sewer is established or constructed by a muncipal authority within a township of the second class. Plaintiffs admit these requirements have been satisfied. “Where the words of a statute are clear, the letter is not to be disregarded in search of legislative intent.” Ralpho Township v. Bebenek, 2 D.&C.3d 74, 79 (1976).

It is interesting to review the legislative purpose of the Municipality Authorities Act. The legislative comment to the act, 53 Pa.C.S. §306, states that the General Assembly recognizes municipal economic growth is vital but, at the time of the act, was impaired by annexation laws, local tax limits and the inability to tax certain property which is exempt. Having found these restrictions to be detrimental, the General Assembly then found it to be the policy of the Commonwealth to promote health, safety, morals, right to gainful employment, business opportunities and the general welfare of the inhabitants of municipalities. The Municipality Authorities Act was adopted to effect this stated policy.

By this language it is clear that clean, pure water for drinking and industrial purposes is necessary. This policy can be practically and effectively carried out in some municipalities only by the creation of a [567]*567quasipublic governmental body such as an authority. At argument both sides conceded that given constitutional and statutory limitations, many municipalities would be unable to provide the services needed by the people absent the Municipality Authorities Act. •

There is nothing unconstitutional or unusual about an authority having more powers and advantages than a township. It was the purpose of the Münicipality Authorities Act to provide such advantages. See Simon Appeal, 408 Pa. 464, 469, 184 A.2d 695, 698 (1962).

As we said, we will discuss the alleged “intensive involvement” of the township which plaintiffs say makes this a township and not an authority project. First, concerned citizens allege the township has incurred a debt by guaranteeing an authority note of over $500,000 and will be required to make interest payments. However, we perceive that guaranteeing a debt of the authority does not incur a debt until default occurs. That has not been alleged.

If we accept as true, as we must, the allegation that the township has had to make, interest payments on the note, this is not such “intensive involvement” as to bring the Second Class Township Code into play. The Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa.C.S.

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Related

Stephano v. Township of Saint Thomas
516 A.2d 409 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
39 Pa. D. & C.3d 563, 1985 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stephano-quick-v-twp-of-st-thomas-pactcomplfrankl-1985.