New Ridgewood Water Rates Slated For Approval

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Officials are slated to approve new rates that Ridgewood Water charges customers.

The Village Council is slated to discuss the new rates at a meeting tonight. The council is slated to introduce an ordinance Wednesday that re-establishes the rates it charged people from 2010 to 2017.

Superior Court Judge Perez Friscia in July 2017 ordered Ridgewood's water-rate ordinance invalid and that the matter be remanded to the village so the rates could be recalculated. (See Related: Ridgewood Water Loses Rate Lawsuit, Must Recalculate Rates)

The ruling came after Glen Rock, Wyckoff and Midland Park, which are all served by the utility, claimed in its class action lawsuit that it inflated its costs and unlawfully raised its rates. The towns sued Ridgewood Water over a 31-percent rate increase from 2010 to 2012. (See Related: Lawsuit Challenges Ridgewood Water Rate Increase)

The suit, filed on behalf of ratepayers in 2011, sought the complete repeal of the utility's rate increase. Ridgewood representatives claimed the increase was necessary for the utility to stay solvent. Ratepayers claim the utility artificially inflated its costs and cost them millions of dollars.

The plaintiffs claimed the rate hikes were necessary to offset village operating expenses, including fire and police salaries.

Ridgewood officials claimed in a court-ordered report that the utility had a revenue shortfall of more than $400,000 from 2010 to 2012.

The report concludes that the rate charged by the village's water utility undercharged ratepayers for 2010 and 2011, officials previously said in a statement.

Related: Ridgewood Water Undercharged Customers In 2010 And 2011: Analyst

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