The chairman of the Lansford Coaldale Joint Water Authority says that he feels that the authority’s board members are paid an appropriate amount for the work they do.

Robert Demyanovich defended the agency after members of Lansford Borough Council expressed concern over the board’s pay.

“I don’t feel the board members are overcompensated for how the authority is being managed,” Demyanovich said.

The authority raised its rates by 10 percent this year. But prior to that rate increase, rates remained the same for 10 years.

During that time, the authority made several large investments into the system, Demyanovich said. Among the major projects, they spent $695,000 to upgrade the water line serving Phillips Street in Coaldale, and upgraded the water line on Abbott Street in Lansford, another project costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Demyanovich said customers still pay $75 per quarter for 7,000 gallons of water — roughly $25 per month.

“We do what we can, and we try to work and do the best we can with the money we have and not to raise rates,” Demyanovich said.

At Wednesday’s meeting of Lansford Borough Council, council members appointed a new representative to the authority.

One of the applicants, Christopher Ondrus, presented documents showing that board members receive higher compensation than other municipal water authorities in Carbon County.

While council appoints the authority board members, the board sets its own salaries.

The council voted to organize a meeting with Coaldale Borough to discuss the future of the authority. No date has been announced.