Sewerage Commission Awards Annual Rebates To Belleville, Nutley

NEWARK, NJ — The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) recently announced rebate amounts for Belleville and Nutley as part of its Municipal Rebate Incentive Program.

Belleville will receive $5,936 and Nutley will receive $860, the PVSC said.

In addition to Belleville and Nutley, 26 other cities and towns in North Jersey were awarded a combined $500,558 as part of the latest round of rebates, the PVSC announced in late February (see the list below).

The agency offered some background about the program in a news release:

“The program is a cooperative effort between PVSC and its contributing communities. All construction projects within the PVSC service area are required to be assessed for connection fee applicability. First, a construction project application must be submitted to the PVSC Inspection and Compliance Bureau Connections Unit. PVSC Inspectors then review each application and work closely with municipal Building Departments and Code Enforcement Offices in order to calculate the appropriate connection fee. In accordance with the Municipal Rebate Incentive Program, 15% of that fee (up to $5,000 per file) is then refunded back to the municipalities.”

According to the PVSC:

“Connection Unit Inspectors reviewed 1,852 applications in 2022. Of these, 1,143 were deemed to have no impact to the PVSC system and were therefore given a ‘no fee’ status. The remaining 709 applications resulted in a daily discharge of an additional 3,161,013 gallons per year into the PVSC system. This resulted in $8,842,142 in connection fees and $500,558 in rebates to PVSC’s contributing municipalities.”

Although some municipal leaders, including Belleville Mayor Michael Melham have questioned the program in the past, PVSC chair Thomas Tucci Jr. said the rebates are a “win-win situation for all involved.”

“Through this cooperative program, the PVSC ensures that all new construction projects pay the applicable connection fee,” Tucci said. “Then, all member towns get some help offsetting the costs of basic services.”

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission provides wastewater treatment for 1.5 million people in municipalities across Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Union and Passaic counties.

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