HOWELL – The Township Council is asking the state for financial support for the installation of drinking water mains in the Freewood Acres neighborhood at the same time a sewer project is taking place in that area of Howell.
On June 13, council members passed a resolution seeking an appropriation of $2.125 million from the state’s general fund to help pay for the drinking water infrastructure project.
Howell is constructing more than 8 miles of sanitary sewer mains to replace failing septic systems throughout Freewood Acres. In order to install the sewer mains, it will be necessary to dig up roads in the area, according to the resolution.
Officials said drinking water for many properties in Freewood Acres is currently supplied by “old, uncased, shallow groundwater wells.” According to the resolution, the groundwater table is very high in this area and often results in contaminated water.
Council members said “it would be protective of the public health and safety, environmentally beneficial and an efficient use of resources to install water mains to the area at the same time the sewer mains are being installed.”
The financial cost to Howell to partner with New Jersey American Water, which supplies most of the township, to extend the water main to Freewood Acres “is beyond the financial means of the municipality and further contribution to the project by New Jersey American Water is limited by regulatory requirements of the Board of Public Utilities,” according to the resolution.
Howell officials are asking state representatives for $2.125 million for the purpose of installing the water mains.
In another resolution passed by the council on June 13, members of the governing body urged the state Legislature to extend the current 2 percent cap on police and fire arbitration contract awards.
According to the resolution, in July 2010, Gov. Chris Christie and the Legislature enacted a permanent 2 percent cap on municipal and school board tax levies with limited exceptions that did not include police and fire arbitration contract awards.
In December 2010, the Legislature unanimously approved and the governor enacted, a temporary 2 percent cap on police and fire arbitration contract awards “in an effort to control increasing salary costs and provide a solution to assist local governments in keeping property taxes down and costs under control,” according to the resolution.
The legislation that was passed in December 2010 included an April 1, 2014 sunset on the 2 percent arbitration cap. The 2 percent property tax levy remained permanent for municipalities and school boards.
In June 2014, the Legislature unanimously approved and the governor enacted an extension to Dec. 31, 2017 for the 2 percent arbitration cap. The 2 percent property tax levy remains permanent, without an exemption for police and fire arbitration contract awards, according to the resolution.
Officials said if the cap on interest arbitration expires while the 2 percent tax levy cap remains in effect, municipalities will be forced to reduce or eliminate municipal services in order to fund the interest arbitration awards to police officers and firefighters.
Howell’s elected representatives are calling on the Legislature to extend the 2 percent cap on police and fire arbitration contract awards for five years, “at which time the Legislature will have hard data to examine and then make a final decision as to whether this law should be made permanent.”
