Sewerage Commission Awards Montclair $14K In Rebates

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) recently awarded $545,895 to several municipalities in New Jersey, including Montclair, as part of its Municipal Rebate Incentive Program.

That included $14,058 for Montclair, according to a news release from the agency.

What are the rebates for? According to the PVSC:

“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 1,960 applications in 2021. Of these, 1,170 were deemed to have no impact to the PVSC system and were therefore given a ‘no fee’ status. The remaining 790 applications resulted in a daily discharge of an additional 2,878,079 gallons per year into the PVSC system. This resulted in $6,299,585 in connection fees and $545,895 in rebates to PVSC’s contributing municipalities.”

Although some municipal leaders have questioned the program in the past, PVSC chair Thomas Tucci Jr. said the rebates are “mutually beneficial for all involved.”

“When a building is connected to the PVSC sewer system, there are a number of highly-regulated descriptive codes and standards that must be met,” Tucci said. “Through this cooperative program, PVSC ensures that all new construction projects pay the applicable connection fee and that all participating municipalities get some much-needed revenue to help offset the costs of basic services.”

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