By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY For the first time in five years, homeowners and businesses won’t be seeing a rate increase in their sewer bills.
Every year, sewer service rates have been steadily creeping upward since the township moved to a usage-based system in 2009. However, The Township Committee put an end to that trend on Feb. 7 when it introduced an ordinance that would keep rates flat at $8.93 per cubic feet (CCF) of water used per household.
People will also still be paying a base fee of $256 to cover billing, administration and debt service.
So a small family that might use 78 CCF a year in addition to the base fee would be paying about $343 this year. However, the rates are still based on usage so a household using more or less water this year will determine whether it will pay more, less or the same.
”Throughout 2012 we looked for ways to reduce costs and streamline our operation,” said Mayor Ed Trzaska. “This represents a step in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work to do and making our sewer system more cost effective will remain one of our key goals in 2013.”
Elected and town officials were able to keep the service rate flat with the influx of new users into system and by settling a dispute with Rocky Hill, which owed the township overdue usage and capital fees.
”Most importantly,” added Mayor Trzaska. “We completed a comprehensive sewer consolidation study that could save us millions of dollars in the future.”
Under the proposed ordinance, the capacity charge, or the one-time new user fee, will increase by $2 to $37.Although sewer rates might be flat, Kid Connection fees could be a different story this year.
Laure Scasserra, the director of the private, nonprofit program, came before the committee to propose tuition hikes for some of the programs. The Before School Program would increase the most by 5 percent, bringing two, three and five day options to $649, $945 and $1,476 respectively.
The Half-Day Preschool Program would increase by 3 percent, putting the two, three and five day options at $2,062, $2,443 and $3,369. Kindergarten Enrichment would go up 2.5 percent, making the new fees for two, three and five day options $3,020, $3,550 and $4,966.
The changes take into account the demand for the programs, prices of competitors and consistent declining enrollment in younger students.
”Even though fees have increased, we think they are well within the range of what’s appropriate within the community,” said Ms. Scasserra.
If adopted, the current pilot lunch program, which extends the Half Day Preschool Program by an hour and 15 minutes at a flat rate, would become permanent.
”Our goal for Kid Connection is it for to be financially self-sustaining and remain a value for Montgomery families,” said Mayor Trzaska. “Even though a few of the Kid Connection programs are increasing in price, they are still 15 to 20 percent lower on average than what other schools are charging.”
The public hearing and potential adoption for both ordinances is slated for the next committee meeting on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at the municipal building.
