Philip Charles of DumpPMUA alerts residents to a proposed rate increase that will be acted on at a Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority public hearing on Dec. 28.
The proposed rate changes are spelled out in a Dec. 2 legal notice (which I missed). The main concern of the group is a 61.8 percent increase in the shared services quarterly rate, from $51.13 per quarter to $82.75 per quarter. It includes a quarterly increase from $35.07 per lot to $48.72 and a quarterly increase per household from $16.13 to $34.03.
The full notice may be seen on the New Jersey Press Association web site under public notices. There is no direct link to the notice, you have to input information to get it. Click here to get started.
Here is how the PMUA explains the proposed change:
The proposed adjustments will not result in an increase in the total solid waste rates charged to most ratepayers. The Authority's CY2011 Solid Waste operating budget "does not" include a service rate increase. However, certain service adjustments were necessitated in the Authority's "On-Call" bulky waste collection services in order to expand bulky waste collection service availability to all Plainfield property owners. This needed adjustment now makes bulky waste collection an integral component of the community "shared services" fees paid by all City property owners. Bulky waste collection is part of the Authority's comprehensive solid waste program service package being provided to our current customers and the proposed change will have no overall impact on these customers. Extending this service to all property owners and making it a part of the Authority's shared services fee is needed to help address a significant increase in illegal dumping being experienced throughout the City.
Charles says the change in shared services rates "will basically force homeowners to choose PMUA's services. " The citizen group has encouraged homeowners to opt out of PMUA services and now Charles sees the rate change as a particular concern for those who did so. The language of the notice cites an extension of bulky waste collection to "all property owners," not just its current customers.
Click here to read DumpPMUA's previous commentary on shared services.
Charles urges residents to speak out at the Dec. 28 meeting, which will be at 6 p.m. in the PMUA building at 127 Roosevelt Avenue.
Besides "Shared Services Adjustments," other rate changes up for a hearing and vote Dec. 28 are Low Density Residential Rates, which will slightly increase fees per lot and decrease fees per household, yielding no overall change in the 2010 rate of $199.38 per quarter rate for 2011.
Under Container Service Rates, disposal fees will increase from $101.13 per quarter to $110.77 per quarter and collection fees will decrease from $232.22 to $223.11. The Basic Container Service Fee will increase only 53 cents to $333.88 per quarter for 2011. All the approved changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2011.
DumpPMUA was organized in March 2009 after PMUA increases of 14 percent for sewer rates and 20 percent for solid waste rates, which the group said occurred without proper notice. The group went on to examine the authority's operations, including travel and expenses for commissioners, and although the authority prevailed in a lawsuit over its practices, reforms on policies were enacted. To learn more about DumpPMUA, click here.
The City Council had asked PMUA officials to appear before the governing body earlier this year, but PMUA Chairman Harold Mitchell asked that any meeting be put off until after the November general election. So far, no date for a joint meeting has been announced. The authority is operating with several holdover commissioners. No appointments were made in time for its annual reorganization in February and none have come through subsequently.
--Bernice Paglia
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If the city council can disband the PMUA at anytime, there is no better time than today.
ReplyDeleteSo, once again, the last few remaining hard working, tax paying, law abiding residents will be responsible for picking up the tab while people like slumlord connolly pay no taxes, no pmua fees, file for bankruptcy and walk away with millions and it's legal. If we could get out of this town, we certainly would, but no one in their right mind is moving to plainfield and never will. i only wish we knen then what we know now because we certainly would not have moved here. while decent folks are trying to play by the rules, we are being screwed left and right and no one seems to give a damn about it.
ReplyDeleteTypical PMUA - Rate hearing only to approve what they propose. I'd be shocked if we don't get stuck with this rate increase.
ReplyDeleteAll of us have or should have an interest in having PMUA pick up bulky waste such as the stuff illegally dumped around the city. I for one want our city streets to be clean and attractive without a lot of garbage--this is an investment which will pay off for all who love Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon 8:45am (obviously you are employed by the PMUA). Those who dump illegally should be prosecuted. What the PMUA is doing is charging the people who are following the rules. Even if there were 30 dumping incidents a day, what they PMUA is looking to collect would be $3,000,000 too much.
ReplyDelete