Bergen County residents vocal against proposed increase water rates by United Water New Jersey
Wednesday August 28, 2013, 8:10 PM
BY DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITER
The Record
The crowd was thin but the opposition vocal during a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed 18 percent increase in water rates for most of Bergen County that drew criticism for being too large during tough times.
Only about a dozen residents attended the hearing in Hackensack, but those who spoke urged regulators to deny, or at least trim, the increase United Water New Jersey is seeking to help pay for water system improvements, plus a 10.9 percent profit and employee raises.
In the 45-minute hearing in the Bergen County Adminstration building, residents and municipal officials said the proposal was excessive at a time when people and towns were struggling financially. The request is pending before the state Board of Public Utilities, which must approve utility rate increases before they can take effect.
“In today’s economy, that is a no-no,” said Omar Rodriguez of Saddle Brook. “What is going to happen when the economy gets better? Are they going to ask for 30 percent? This is the time for the BPU to stand their ground and do what…is fair.”
Echoing those concerns was 89-year-old Nina Levinson, who called the proposal “outrageous,” particularly for the elderly.
Current rate in Ho Ho Kus is over $6 per thousand gallons, do not know how much United’s rates are – likely they vary by town. Curious if Allendale rates will go up in that they just signed mgmt/op contract with United Water.
Rwd Water – despite people squawking about rate hikes – is currently among the lower cost water suppliers around I think. But in my view it’s all very murky when a Vill Council from one town votes and and approves all kinds of spending which the other towns as customers are then stuck with — having had little or no say.
Also Rwd Water’s payroll appears in all the muni pay databases as Ridgewood muni, making things murkier. Police appears as sep payroll, so does Fire, and for that matter so does the Library payroll. (Vill is one of only a few I could find with sep Library payroll, not even most NJ cities do that) Must be a reason– no idea myself why though. Point it though that if even the Library is run as a sep operation and Payroll, why is Rwd Water completely co-mingled with other Vllage muni employees?
Again look at any of the public databases such as https://php.app.com/NJpublicemployees13/search.php
Rwd Water should become pub/priv partnership with ops and many levels of mgmt taken over by an operating partner such as United or Aqua America etc. We get reduced costs, we get to realize some of the value of a curr Rwd owned system and if desired stakes could be sold to other towns who are customers too.
The management/operation of water utilities should be left to those who specialize in managing/operating water utilities, not to those who can’t seem to get anything right (Village Council). Let United Water take over the operation now, before it’s too late.