'Confusion' Over Aberdeen's Financial Role in JCPL Battle

Middletown, NJ - There's a little "confusion" — to put it mildly — over how much Aberdeen is or isn't a financial partner in Holmdel, Hazlet and Middletown's legal fight against Jersey Central Power & Light's power line proposal.

Aberdeen Township offered $10,000 to help pay for legal and engineering fees, Aberdeen Mayor Fred Tagliarini announced Friday evening. But when asked late Saturday afternoon, Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger said there was "a little confusion" as to whether that number has been accepted, or agreed upon by the other three towns.

On Friday, the townships of Middletown, Holmdel and Hazlet announced they had formed a three-town consortium to pay for an attorney and an engineering firm to fight JCP&L's Monmouth County Reliability Project. Holmdel, Hazlet and Middletown will be splitting the cost of the fees equally, Scharfenberger told Patch — three ways.

In announcing that legal representation had been hired (the law firm Bevan, Mosca & Guiditta, of Basking Ridge and engineering firm Maser Consulting), Scharfenberger also pointedly invited the towns of Aberdeen and Red Bank to join the fight, saying, "The sooner the better, as the schedule for this project seems to be on a relatively fast track.”

That prompted Tagliarini to contact Patch, saying his town was prepared to pony up $10,000, and he already told Scharfenberger that last week.

"I am disappointed that Mayor Scharfenberger did not get a chance to open his email before his comments to you," Tagliarini said in an email to Patch, which was also sent to Scharfenberger, Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds and Hazlet Mayor Scott Aagre. "Aberdeen is very proud to be part of the movement against the JCP&L project. As you can see, Aberdeen has pledged its fair monetary share."

The only problem is Middletown, Holmdel and Hazlet would like Aberdeen to come on as an equal payer, Scharfenberger said, thus splitting the cost four ways, as opposed to three. Same with Red Bank: Should they come aboard, the cost would be equally split five ways, Middletown Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante said. Neither Scharfenberger nor Mercantante wanted to divulge exactly how much the towns are paying.

But according to a press release drafted by Aberdeen Township Manager Holly Reycraft, Aberdeen is committed to only pay 10% of the costs incurred by the joint defense group.

"Aberdeen is contributing its share based upon the equalized true market value of all property in the township in comparison to the other towns involved," read the release, a reference to wealthier Holmdel and Middletown's tax ratables base.

But Mercantante said that press release "came out of left field."

"We were all completely surprised by it," he told Patch Saturday. "Other than the fact that Aberdeen is opposed to the project, everything in there is completely inaccurate — the amount of money, how it was determined — none of that is anything that's been discussed with the group."

Despite the quibbling, Scharfenberger said he was confident the four towns would come to an agreement.

"Fred has been a great ally and Aberdeen has been a great partner," he told Patch Saturday evening. "I'm sure we're going to resolve this. It's just sometimes difficult to get everyone on the same page at the same time."

"At this point Aberdeen is not a part of the consortium, but they certainly can be and are welcome to be," Mercantante said. "This is a new situation for us all, so it's understandable there will be some hiccups. At the end of the day we all have the same things at stake: Our residents, their quality of life and their property values. We just believe everyone should share the burden equally."