The Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority will hold a rate hearing next month for a proposed reduction in the sewer rate and an increase in the sewer connection fee.
The rate hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the PMUA office, 127 Roosevelt Ave. The proposed reduction in the sewer rate is 3 percent, from "5.63 per ccf to 5.46 per ccf." According to the PMUA rate explanation, there is a minimum sewer fee of $56.30 per quarter. (Being a renter, I leave it to property owners to comment on the impact of this change.)
The increase in the sewer connection fee will be from $2,140 to $2,300. As explained at a recent PMUA meeting, this charge is per dwelling unit, so for example a proposed 200-unit new development would require an additional $34,000 in fees over the 2014 rate.
Also on Feb. 10, the PMUA's regular board meeting has been rescheduled from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the same location. This is the annual reorganization, at which a chairman and other officers are chosen, a calendar is adopted for the year and various other designations are made.
As of Feb. 1, three of the five commissioners on the board will be in holdover status due to expired terms. One alternate will also be a holdover and the other alternate's seat remains vacant.
--Bernice
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The PMUA Commissioners held and passed the Sewer Rate change on December 22nd,2014.. If there is any doubt one can examine the transcript of the meeting. Probably because some of those in attendance challenged this high handed procedure the PMUA Commissioners thought better of their inappropriate action and are now belatedly conducting the Rate Hearing to be in compliance with the law. The practical consequence is academic as the Sewer rate change is miniscule. The PMUA opined that they did not have the obligation to hold a hearing with regard to the Solid Waste Collection Fee and Shared Service Fee because the rates for these remain unchanged. While the PMUA may be technically correct in this regard it seems hypocritical in light of their incessant rhetoric regarding "openness". The annual Rate Hearing is the one annual event at which the public can, without time limitation, otherwise is limited to 3 minutes, interrogate the Consultants and Commissioners regarding the Rate structure. As a matter of common courtesy, and reflecting their purported "openness", a budget review and public questions should have been permitted. Moreover, the Annual Budget from which the budget is derived had not been made available to the Public prior to the Rate Hearing. So even given the 3 minutes allocated it was impossible to make a meaningful inquiry. \When Mr. Williamson was asked to justify what most view as the excessive Shared Service Fee he responded as he had at the City Council interview at which Mr. Williamson stated that since the Rates were the same as last year that he did not come prepared to answer the question. No one has ever answered the question .No one is ever prepared. The reason: There is no justifiable answer, The Household Collection fee is arrived at by the simple expedient of charging what the local private haulers charge for the Household Collection Fee, determining the total revenue this will yield, and then attributing entire balance required to the Shared Service Fee. The PMUA does this because every property owner is required to pay the Shared Service fee, whereas they can opt of the Household Collection Fee. If the Household Fee were higher than private haulers there would be a massive opt out which the PMUA with its ever increasing costs could not afford.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mr. Williamson appeared before the City Council he volunteered to reappear and answer all questions if he was presented with a list of questions prior to his reappearance. Will the Council take advantage of this invitation, prepare such a list and invite Mr. Williamson to reappear, or will the issue like the sun fade over the horizon at dusk? The difference being the sun will rise again the next morning but Mr. Willamson's sunset may be perpetual. Bill Kruse
What exactly does the PUMA do for this $2300.00 dollars? Seems excessive unless they dig the trench and put the pipe in for the project, which I doubt.
ReplyDeleteWhy not ask Kruse he knows everything and compare that to other towns?
DeleteMr. Kruse's line of inquiry and speculation regarding the Shared Service Fee is perfectly legitimate and has always gone unanswered, save for drivel like your's. PMUA has had plenty of opportunities to answer with facts and figures, and that it hasn't availed itself only leads to further the sense that he is correct. Its reps beat around the bush when pressed for answers, or come straight out with fabrications and lies regarding its legal and contractual obligations as a city agency. Its high rates speak louder than its obfuscation, and its unchecked actions speak for the corruption embedded in Plainfield's political forest.
DeleteAlan
ReplyDeleteThe question was dealing with connection fees and not Kruse comments
Kruse didn't write anything about the connection fee, so the real question is why you brought his name into it to begin with. I suggest that you spend less time on the snarky comments, and more time cleaning up the PMUA mess. Start at the top with the Board of Commissioners and the fraudsters they hire to run the show, provide legal counsel, and audit their game.
DeleteThe "knows everything" sarcasm triggered an appropriate reply by Alan.
DeleteAnonymous January 16, 2015 at 11:39 pm ask a specific question about connection fees that no one has answered yet. Can you answers the question?
Delete