Plan to finance sewer lines will be on agenda July 10.
By: Audrey Levine
A vote on an ordinance to extend sewers to homes off Mountain View Road will have to wait until next month, since two committee members were absent at this week’s meeting.
The proposed ordinance authorizes borrowing $500,000 for the installation of sewer lines on Brook Drive, Arthur Road, Tara Drive and Mountain View Terrace. The sewer lines will connect to a trunk line installed by Beazer Homes Developers, which is developing the nearby Pleasantview Estates development.
State law requires a two-thirds majority to approve bond ordinances, which translates to four votes but only three members of the committee Mayor Anthony Ferrera, Deputy Mayor Lisa Nisivoccia and Bob Wagner were present at Tuesday’s meeting.
The three attending members unanimously agreed Tuesday to try again on July 10.
According to Kevin Davis, township administrator, the Hillsborough Planning Board gave approval for Pleasantview Estates in 2005. The approval required Beazer to extend sewer lines to the new development of 172 single-family homes.
Homeowners in the nearby Brook Drive neighborhood have been trying to secure a sewer line connection for years. Many have experienced failing septic systems because of the poor drainage in the area.
With a connecting link on Mountain View Road planned for the Pleasantview Estates houses, the neighborhood can connect without the homeowners having to incur the entire cost of the work. However, the residents will pay for the cost of installing sewer lines on their streets.
Resident Roger Smith, of Brook Drive, questioned what the cost to homeowners would be.
Mr. Davis said the bond would be paid back over five years through an assessment of properties in the neighborhood. There will be no extra costs to the taxpayers as a whole, and only those benefiting from the sewer lines, about 75 property owners, will have to pay, he said.
According to the ordinance, all lots affected by the addition of the sewer lines will be assessed to determine what each owner will pay about $6,700 plus the costs to connect to the sewer line.
Mr. Davis also said Beazer Homes paid for the design and permit work for the sewer trunk lines.
As of now, the trunk line has already been laid down and Beazer Homes Developers is now responsible for building a pump station that the sewers will hook into. The total cost paid by Beazer for the work is $500,000.
Mr. Davis said that, in the next three or four months, a contract for building the residential sewers lines will go out to bid, with the project expected to be completed in 2008.

