Nutley Board Raising Water Rates; Bills to Increase

Nutley property owners will see their water bills rise after the price was raised by officials Tuesday night.

The Nutley Board of Commissioners passed an increase in water usage charges, from $35.98 per 1,000 cubic feet used by $4.50 to $40.48, Commissioner Joseph Scarpelli said.

The average customer will see their bill go up about $48 per year, Scarpelli said.

"We normally look at the rates every four to six years," he said. "We haven't changed the price in six years."

From now on, water usage will be checked every year, said Scarpelli, director of the Department of Public Works, the department that oversees water meter reading.

"By going through this every year, we all feel we will have better management of our water usage," he said.

Commissioner Mauro Tucci said he agreed with the new approach, which would make any increases spread out over time and not one, large spike in cost.

To keep costs down, the public works department has a state-of-the-art leak detection system that has saved more than $350,000 since its installation more than six years ago, Scarpelli said.

Mayor Alphonse Petracco said the system will continue saving taxpayer dollars for years to come, and credited Scarpelli for updating water meters and the entire system.