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New Utility Rates in Montville
The Township of Montville has provided an update on the change in sewer and water rates, as many residents have noticed an increase in utility bills.
The following is from the Township of Montville - " "
New rate structure is effective January 1, 2023. Any bill created after January 1 will use the new structure to determine the charge.
Why were the rates increased?
The Water and Sewer rates have not increased in 13 years. In fact, sewer rates were decreased in 2015 and in 2012 ratepayers received a 6-month rate holiday. Throughout all of this, we had to manage a budget within the confines of the revenue generated by the rates in place. Unfortunately, those rates can no longer accommodate the needs of the utility in order to provide our residents with a safe and working water and sewer system.
Due to the needs of the aging system, large infrastructure projects are necessary to ensure sustainable operations. New Federal regulatory requirements for Water Quality Accountability have presented the Township with increasing costs of water and sewer operations. Montville Township must comply with these unfunded mandates.
The Township is not immune to inflation. Costs for materials and supplies have increased substantially, as well as laboratory costs for the large amount of required water testing.
Montville Township cannot maintain the infrastructure and needs of our water and sewer system without increasing the rates after 13 years. The rate structure itself was also changed to distribute the costs of operation more fairly to our customers. In some instances, people may see a decrease based on their usage.
The current rates are based on these needs.
How are the new rates different?
The new rates introduce a tiered structure. This apportions costs based on usage, with higher usage tiers having slightly higher rates.
Residential: The new structure introduces new usage tiers with an allowance included in the base charge when billing for water. The Sewer charge is now a flat rate. There are fixed costs associated with maintaining a sewer system for the Township residents, including the cost of wastewater treatment. These costs do not vary based on the size of your household. The variable expenses that would be associated with a variable rate are minimal as is the variance in flow/usage between a large residence versus a small residence, therefore causing the need for a variable rate to be unnecessary. This is why we switched to a fixed rate structure.
Commercial: the new rate structure increases the number of tiers for both water and sewer charge calculations. Water charges are calculated with an allowance included in the base charge. The sewer base charge does not include a usage allowance.
How do I qualify for a senior classification?
Senior Citizen or disabled rates are applied if an application is submitted and approved. The criteria to have an approved application is:
1. Owner/Tenant resides at the address.
2. All Owner/Tenant listed on the deed or lease meets the requirements except for age. If one applicant is not yet 65, that is acceptable. Include copy of lease or deed.
3. The combined income of all applicants is less than $10,000 not including social security, or all applicants have a valid PAAD card. Copies of the PAAD card or a copy of Federal Tax return is required.
4. If applying for the reduction due to disability, a copy of the initial reward letter will be required showing the disabled status is due to a total disability.
