Sewer Fees Increase In West Orange; No-Interest Grace Period Ends Soon

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A no-interest grace period for sewer bills is set to expire soon in West Orange.

The West Orange Town Council recently approved a hike to local sewer fees, which were billed on July 1 and payable on Aug. 1. Read More: Sewer Fees Increase In West Orange; Council Gives Green Light

The 15-day grace period is set to expire on Aug. 31, according to the municipal website. The expiration date was previously listed as Aug. 15 in the resolution that authorized the increase.

Township sewer users pay a fee for the cost of maintaining the sewer system and for the cost of sewer treatment. Users are charged a fee based on the number of units in their home or building. The previous sewer rate was $350 per unit annually.

As spelled out in the resolution that authorized the fee hike, the following rates are now being charged:

• “Each dwelling unit rate will be $550 per unit”
• “Properties classified by the Township Assessor as Class 2 Residential properties with 5 bedrooms will pay $550 per unit”
• “Properties classified by the Township Assessor as Class 2 Residential properties with more than 5 bedrooms in a unit will pay an additional $50 for every additional bedroom in that unit”
• “Properties classified by the Township Assessor as Class 2 Residential properties with less than 5 bedrooms in a unit will receive a $50 credit for every bedroom less than five in that unit, up to a maximum credit of $200 for that unit”
• “Properties classified by the Township Assessor as any other Property Class 2 will pay $550 per unit”

The sewer fee hike comes as the West Orange Town Council is considering a municipal tax increase that was previously ballparked at 16 percent, but has been reduced to about 6 percent – partly by introducing new revenue.

Some residents have criticized the sewer fee increase, including several who spoke at a recent council meeting/budget hearing. Read More: Potential Tax Hike In West Orange Chopped Down – But Is It Enough?

Councilman Bill Rutherford spoke about residents’ concerns during the meeting, saying he “shares their frustrations” and reiterating that it was a “difficult vote” to increase sewer fees.

“From the beginning, we wanted to move to a usage-based model,” Rutherford said.

However, the council was told that it couldn’t be done in time to impact this year’s budget, he said.

“So what we've all discussed in these meetings – all five of us – is moving to a usage-based model next year,” Rutherford said. “We did also inquire about using bathrooms instead of bedrooms to base this year's model [on], and because the data is less clear about the number of bathrooms and homes apparently than bedrooms, we weren't able to do that or use that with any reliability this year.”

West Orange also increased the township’s sewer fees in 2016, hiking them $100 from the previous year. Read More: West Orange Jacks Up Sewer Rates For 2016

Former Mayor Robert Parisi issued a statement about the increase at the time, noting that the town is part of the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties Sewerage Authority, which operates and manages the sewage plant in Elizabeth, and assesses the connected communities an annual charge to cover operating costs.

“The township worked for many years to keep the sewer costs low, but it was kept artificially low by absorbing the difference in cost in the general operating budget,” Parisi wrote. “However, as the related costs have continued to rise ... it is impossible for the township to absorb the difference in the general operating budget, especially with general operating expenses such as insurance and salaries increasing at the same time.”

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