Borough Manager Thomas Joyce spoke on the matter during the meeting, explaining first that a meeting has been scheduled at 6 p.m. today with M&B's owner, the council's Utility Committee and any authority members interested in attending to discuss M&B's proposal to continue operating the plant through 2017. The company's proposal has increased substantially from the current contract, according to Joyce, which led the council to consider operating the plant with its own employees.

"Right now, we are still under contract with M&B and we are putting out advertisements for a licensed operator," Joyce said. "I have been also contacted by some other companies about requests for proposals."

"I realize it's council's decision, but the authority also needs to make sure the plant is adequately covered and check with our insurance carrier to make sure what the issues are," [S. John Price] said. "It seems to me that when you have an independent contractor like we do now and if something gets fouled up, we have a cause of action and recourse against them. If that function is taken over by a borough employee, I'm not sure we'd have the same recourse that we would have an independent contractor and we need to check that out."