While voters rejected the ballot question in Gloucester Township that would have sold the municipal sewage collection system to a private, investor-owned utility, our trade group, the New Jersey Utilities Association has historically seen bipartisan support in many other communities for solutions that these regulated utility companies provide.
On Election Day, New Jersey had two other water and sewer sale referenda; Village of South Orange and Manalapan Township voters overwhelmingly approved ballot questions to sell their water systems. The results are nothing new.
During the past decade, 11 New Jersey communities have supported selling their water and/or sewer systems to private, professional water utilities, all with a margin of more than 60%. In fact, five of those won with a margin of 75% or more.
This makes perfect sense; the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates nearly $30 billion in water and sewer investments are needed in New Jersey in the next 15 years. While the need spans the whole state, investments need to be concentrated in municipal systems that desperately need assistance to address complex infrastructure issues.
Private utilities provide rate stability, economies of scale, manpower and expertise to address significant challenges and meet growing regulatory demands, like “forever chemical” PFAS mitigation and lead service-line replacements.
It’s time for New Jersey communities to rethink their approach to addressing major infrastructure needs. Private utilities, and the water quality expertise and capital they bring, can fix municipal water systems before they reach a crisis point.
Rich Henning, President and CEO, NewJersey Utilities Association, Freehold
County does good job for its senior citizens
I would like to recognize Director Frank DiMarco, Deputy Director Jim Jefferson and the rest of the Gloucester County Board of Commissioners for their continued and dedicated support for county senior citizens.
The services Gloucester County provides for senior residents significantly increase their quality of life, as well as their families and caregivers. The nutrition program offers six conveniently located congregate meal sites that offer a nutritious meal daily, and also delivers meals to homebound seniors.
In addition, free health screenings, free will preparation, caregiver support and social events throughout the year support senior citizens in their daily lives. The commissioners andDivision of Senior Services staff do such a caring, excellent job that it’s easy to miss how much effort and dedication goes into making it all happen.
As a senior, I don’t take their efforts for granted. Our quality of life relies on having leaders with a positive vision working with dedicated staffers to deliver high quality services for the people. We are fortunate to have such leaders as DiMarco and Jefferson, who is the commissioners’ liaison to senior services, and their entire team. They always make Gloucester County seniors top priority, and I appreciate them for that.
Leona Mather, Mullica Hill
Editor’s note: The writer is the retired director of the Gloucester County Division of Senior Services.
Creator: Julio Cortez | Credit: AP