The historical reason for our high sewer bills is that in 1989 the Township signed a 40 year contract with the MHMUA in which we agreed to pay one and a half times whatever Mount Holly Township charged its own residents.
This situation has been made worse by two things. First, the MHMUA rate schedule is set up to ‘nickel and dime’ its customers, with quarterly fees rising according to the diameter of the meter and additional charges for waste disposals. Secondly, Mount Holly is taking full advantage of its LEGAL right to take up to 5% of the annual costs of operation into its own budget, if the utility makes a surplus. As this has happened every year since 2015, it is clear the MHMUA is set up to generate a surplus. The amount has been between $338,000 and $811,000.
I am actively looking into ways in which this can be addressed, either by changing NJ Statutes, or through the NJ Board of Public Utilities.
