Divided council OKs base rate hike of $126
By: Dick Brinster
HIGHTSTOWN Bickering among Borough Council members over an increase in water-sewer rates and discontent among residents over the cost of living in the town could lead to more detailed study of at least one shared service.
That need was underscored by Council President Dave Schneider before adoption Wednesday of an ordinance that raised the water-sewer bill of all customers by $126 a year. Council members, who voted 3-2 for the increase, had been publicly debating the plan for nearly a month.
"This would probably be the one area that has the best chance of being able to be helped by regionalization," said Mr. Schneider.
The stance on regionalization might be considered a departure of form for Mr. Schneider, who opposes the concept of police consolidation with neighboring East Windsor. He voted for an ordinance which raises only the base rate for water-sewer service but said after the meeting that the closing three years ago of the Minute Maid plant, a loss estimated then at $240,000 annually, has put the borough in a precarious financial position.
"I fear we’ve lost too much usage," he said after the meeting.
During the meeting, at which he, Walter Sikorski and Larry Quattrone voted for the measure, Mr. Schneider said the borough needs to seriously consider selling water.
"If we can sell water at the rate of a quarter-million gallons a day to somebody, we’d be fantastic," he said. "And if one of our neighbors needed that capacity I would think we could make that deal."
He said such an arrangement probably would enable the town to continue to operate its water and sewer departments.
"As far as shared services, this is where we need to be looking," Mr. Schneider said. "If Hightstown had 1,000 people, I do not think you would be able to operate a police force.
"With 5,000 people and no major industry, I think we’re hitting the point where we may not be able to operate the water center."
Patrick Thompson, who with Constance Harinxma, voted against adoption, renewed his call for more fiscal responsibility by the local government. Mr. Thompson said the problem goes considerably deeper than a hike in the rates.
"We’re continuing to pass along significant increases to the people of Hightstown," he said. "We have not demonstrated the will nor the ability to look systemically at the sustainability of Hightstown, and it’s time we begin to do that."
That approach got no argument from Barbara Jones of Greeley Street, who spoke against adoption of the water-sewer measure.
"I’ve lived here 11 years, but the costs are getting to be ridiculous," she said. "In our neighborhood alone, 11 houses are up for sale and they’re not moving because it’s just too expensive to live here."
Frequent government critic Gene Sarafin, of South Main Street, also referred to the escalating cost of home ownership in the borough.
"What’s going to happen in the town when you have 100 houses for sale and people come to town and look at the tax rate, look at the water-sewer rate?" asked Mr. Sarafin, who supported the ordinance. "It’s expensive to live here, and I hope this coming year we do something about it."
Ms. Jones said an ordinance that calls for no increase in the user rate punishes conservators of water.
"It’s saying everybody’s penalized the same whether they leave the tap on and run the water 24 hours a day or whether you’re conscientious and turn off the tap while you brush your teeth," she said. "This is a very illogical plan."
Mr. Schneider did not agree, saying the base-rate hike was the fairest solution.
"Everybody gets the same pain and we can all sit down together and come up with a good solution for keeping that base rate low," he said. "The town’s people, whether they have one kid or 10, are going to have to run the laundry and use the toilets."
Councilman Larry Quattrone said no one wants to raise rates, but added that he saw no way to avoid it.
"One way or another we have to make up for the shortfall," he said referring to what Borough Administrator Candace Gallagher said was a $257,000 deficit.
Mr. Schneider said the borough is no longer in a surplus situation.
"We’re in a deficit area. Without Minute Maid, right now we’re not big enough to be existing on our own," he said of the water-sewer program.
The movement toward shared sewer services also won an endorsement from borough Democratic party leader Torry Watkins, who in a letter to Ms. Gallagher referred to a study two decades ago by the federal government that recommended merging wastewater treatment facilities with those of the East Windsor Municipal Utilities authority.
In a letter Dec. 7, three days after the council refused by a 4-2 vote to introduce an initial proposal that would have hiked both base and user rates, Borough Engineer Carmela Roberts estimated the cost of consolidation for wastewater services at $2 million to $3 million.
"In characteristic fashion, Hightstown chose to reject the study’s recommendations, and once more go it alone," Mr. Watkins wrote. "By 1990, Hightstown was required to upgrade its treatment plant to the tune of more than $5 million.
"Needless to say, we are still paying off the bonding for that shortsightedness. I am requesting, therefore, that the engineer, Ms. Roberts, dust off that study and take another look at the possibility of reviving the project."
Also, Mayor Bob Patten sent a letter Dec. 21 to East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov to discuss "sharing services, equipment, personnel, facilities and properties in order to become more effective and efficient in our operations." Ms. Mironov told the Herald she is awaiting more elaboration from Mayor Patten before deciding to meet.