Earlier this year, the Fanwood Council created a Sewer Utility to address improvements to the Borough’s aging sewer infrastructure and last week, residents received their first sewer Utility bill. Commercial properties in Fanwood have been paying a Sewer User fee for several years.
“The decision to establish a residential utility user fee was not an easy one given the level of taxes our residents already pay but the Council discussed this during many public meetings starting in 2017, details of which were reported in the local news media,” said Mayor Colleen Mahr. “We understand this is viewed by many as a new tax but the Sewer Utility fee is essentially the same as a utility bill for electric and gas usage except this is paid directly to the Borough,” she continued.
A primary focus of the Sewer Utility will be developing plans for upgrades to the aging sewer system and coordinating that work with utility companies to avoid repeated excavation of the same streets. A sewer upgrade on Paterson Road has already been completed as part of that road reconstruction project.
The Borough Council is also discussing a possible shared services agreement for sewer maintenance with the Plainfield Area Regional Sewage Authority (PARSA), which currently manages our sewage treatment. PARSA is proposing a five-year program of visual inspection and cleaning of all 26 miles of sewer pipe in town. The projected cost is about $94,000 for this program.
Mayor Mahr pointed out that while the Sewer Utility fee does not come under the 2% property tax cap, it was not established for the purpose of raising more taxes to subvert the cap, as some have suggested. “It is important to remember that Fanwood’s property tax levy did not increase this year or last year, an achievement the Council strives for every budget year,” she added.
The first Sewer Utility bill was calculated based on property tax assessment. The Council opted to bill in 2018 to have funding in place for the discussions on 2019 budget and infrastructure improvements. The average bill is $85 with some residents paying less, some more. Next year, the Sewer Utility bill will be based on water usage.
Since 2006, numerous Union County towns have billed sewer fees including Clark, Cranford, Rahway, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit and Westfield. The cost of maintaining sewer systems is tremendous. The state now allows towns to actually sell or lease their sewer systems to outside companies with the expertise to maintain and fix them. This is an option for Fanwood in the future.
Additional information about the Sewer Utility is available on the Borough website, fanwoodnj.org.
