More than three years have passed since Swansea and St. Clair Township started wrangling over how much the township should pay toward the new $20 million sewer plant.

The sticking point seems to be township Supervisor Tim Buchanan's contention that residents should pay for only what they use, not for the additional capacity and overhead created by the expansion.

We've got to wonder whether he's on the phone with Ameren refusing to pay for upgrades and plant capacity in Decatur that he personallly doesn't use. Is he calling Wolf Branch, telling them no new classroom space is coming out of his pocket because no kin of his is expected to use that room?

The reality is that there is growth potential in both the village and township. Either is likely to use the additional capacity in the future.

Dragging this out for more than three years seems silly. This should be a simple equation to determine who pays what.

Holding out or turning over more than $720,000 for the township's share of payments towards the plant puts a greater burden on Swansea's services and taxpayers. It doesn't seem very neighborly, and it doesn't seem very wise, to make a foe of the person with their hand on the valve of your toilets.