Township, Homeowners Resolve Future of Buckingham Village Retention Basin

Residents' fears regarding the future maintenance costs of the were finally put to rest Tuesday during a public hearing at .

Prompted by the organizational and financial concerns of homeowners in the Buckingham Village I, Buckingham Village II and Wingate subdivisions, the township board voted to create a one-year to manage and enforce the costs and maintenance of the basin.

"The board took action to create the SAD for one year and proportionally spread the cost of the retention pond maintenance equally to each lot owner in the affected area," said township clerk Michael Koehs. 

Originally it was thought that once repairs to the basin were complete, homeowners would be able to assume responsibility for future maintenance. But with only Buckingham Village I having a homeowner's association, .

By declaring these three subdivisions a special assessment district, the township has the legal means to collect the monies from each homeowner necessary to maintain the basin.

According to township estimates, homeowners in the SAD will pay around $15-30 a year, with the $30 total including regular deposits to a maintenance fund as well as covering the basic electric costs to run the basin's pump.

"It came down to the developer going bankrupt, and the (retention basin) he built–because of lack of maintenance–falling apart," Koehs said. "The township restored it, and as soon as we put it back together in October, the pump started working and started generating electric bills. We had to put an electric meter in the township’s name, which is why we put in the SAD, so we could recover the cost and so the people benefiting pay the bill."

Although the current SAD was only put in place for one year, Koehs said the township will review it and re-establish it every year as needed until the affected homeowners organize and offer to take over maintenance of the basin themselves.

Koehs estimates more than 80 homeowners attended Tuesday's public hearing, representing what is roughly more than a quarter of the approximately 360 lots in the three Buckingham Village and Wingate subdivisions.