Hopewell Township has increased sewer service fees for users in the Ewing Lawrence Sewage Authority (ELSA) Service District.
Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning, Deputy Mayor Uma Purandare, Committeeman David Chait, and Committeeman Kevin Kuchinski voted “yes” to adopt the amended ordinance increasing sewer rates for those in ELSA Service District at a Township Committee meeting on May 20.
Committeeman Michael Ruger was not present at the meeting.
Under the amended ordinance, the charge per 1,000 gallons increases to $13.69 for users in the ELSA Service District. Previously, it was $11.41 per 1,000 gallons.
The minimum usage that is going to be charged per quarter – 748 gallons.
A flat rate of $40 will be charged for metered and non-metered properties every quarter. Those with a second meter on the property are going to have an additional $10 administration fee per quarter.
On April 1, the rate per 1,000 gallons will increase by the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation. Hopewell Township Committee members have until March 1 each year to change that increase through a resolution depending on the waste treatment system’s needs.
The ELSA sewer service area includes neighborhoods such as Brandon Farms. The 16 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility is in Lawrenceville.
“The ELSA sewer service area is a self-liquidating utility, and a rate increase is necessary to continue operations,” Township Administrator George Snyder said, noting that the facility is roughly 30 years old and starting to require extensive maintenance.
There is a per quarter rate for second meters, also known as irrigation use. Plus, there is a clause for rate preservation where the rate would go up each year,” Snyder added.
Peters-Manning called the ability to adjust the rate through a resolution depending on the system’s needs “a good balance” that the Township Committee will have.
“I have been asking for that for several years,” she said. “We want to be transparent.
“Cause we now are reasonably raising rates every year unless something changes. We will have the flexibility at the beginning of every year to raise it by less or raise it by more. Whatever the needs are for the system.
“This is a big increase in the rates in the ELSA sewer service area. We did not raise the rates for 11 years.”
Peters-Manning acknowledged that the more reasonable way to raise the rates is “a little bit” with cost of inflation each year in order to avoid a large increase at once “because the price of things goes up every year and employees get raises every year to keep up the cost of living.”
“Hopefully we won’t have to face this large increase again,” she said.
