'Pay Your Bills,' Upper Macungie Tells Developers

Upper Macungie wants developers to pay their bills before coming before township supervisors.

When someone wants to build something in Upper Macungie, he or she is supposed to put money into an escrow account to cover the cost of work by the township engineers and solicitor.

But supervisor Sam Ashmar said last week that there's—in total—$95,000 that various developers owe the township. The fees vary depending on the project.

“These are folks who are currently building and getting approvals," Ashmar said. "That’s got to stop."

Some of the accounts are just a few months old, but there are other developments that date back to 2011.

Supervisors took no official action on the matter last week, but Ashmar said the board wouldn't meet with developers unless they'd paid what they owe.

"We have to have better controls," Ashmar said.