For an Open Letter to Dunellen Residents and Businesses about the new Dunellen Sanitary Sewer Utility, click here
For Ordinance 2012-12, creating the Dunellen Sanitary Sewer Utility, click here
For Ordinance 2012-17, Sewer Rents, covering user classes, schedule of charges, flow measurement, sewer strength measurement, extraneous and prohibited flows, objections to estimates, toxic pollutants, proration of charges time of payment, and exemptions, click here
For Ordinance 2012-18, Sewer Use, covering definitions, application for connection, connection fees, inspections, prohibited wastes or waters, testing, violations and penalties, sewer rate fees and charges, and other matters, click here
For Ordinance 2019-03, Amended Sewer Utility fees for 2019, adopted March 2019, click here.
Ordinance 2022-30 Amending Sewer Utility, click here.
Like many municipalities, the Borough of Dunellen has determined that billing customers directly for their usage of the sewer system is more equitable than charging all taxpayers at the same rate for a sewer system.
Funds received by the Sewer Utility will be utilized to pay for the cost of treating all wastewater that is discharged into the sewer system, and for the cost of repairing and maintaining all of the sanitary sewer lines in the entire community.
Yes, most municipalities have created sewer utilities.
When sewer costs are included in tax bills, low volume users of the system are subsidizing higher volume users of the system, such as residents subsidizing businesses and other large enterprises. Establishing a Sewer Utility and billing customers based on their usage is a much more fair practice.
The Sewer Utility was established by ordinance and the Mayor and Council are in direct charge of it. Administrative tasks are carried out by different departments including the Municipal Clerk’s Office, the Tax Office, and the Department of Public Works.
NO. There were no new personnel hired to administer the Utility
Having a Sewer Utility is a better environmental practice than including sewer costs within taxes because it establishes a financial incentive not to waste a valuable resource.
Customer bills are based on two factors:
- Single family residences are billed a flat rate of $350.00 per year (as of 2017). Multi-family residences up to four units are billed at a flat rate of $350.00 per unit (2019).
- Commercial units and residential properties with more than four units are billed at a rate of $4.25 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed (2017). The usages are taken directly from data compiled by New Jersey American Water and consist of the first three months of the prior year plus the final three months of the prior year, times two.
As with the Municipal Budget, the financial requirements for running the Utility will be determined each year. Based upon these needs, the fees may be adjusted.