East Brunswick Proposes Water, Sewer Rate Increases Starting In 2027

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — East Brunswick residents could pay about $60 more a year for water and sewer service starting in January under rate increases introduced by the Township Council.

The council took up two ordinances Monday, that would raise water and sewer rates beginning Jan. 1, 2027. A public hearing and final vote are scheduled for the council’s Nov. 23 meeting.

Utilities director Dan Losik said a typical household with a 1-inch or smaller water meter that uses about 18,000 gallons a quarter would see its water bill go up $9.72 a quarter, or roughly $40 a year.

The flat sewer fee would go up $5 a quarter, or $20 a year.

“Roughly overall $60 for the two utilities,” he said.

Under the sewer ordinance, the residential sewer charge would go from $80 a quarter to $85 in 2027 and $87 in 2028.

The water ordinance sets rates for five years. The usage charge would be $6.37 per 1,000 gallons in 2027 and rise each year to $7.17 by 2031. The quarterly meter fee for most homes would be $44 in 2027 and rise to $50 by 2031.

Township Administrator Joe Criscuolo said the township has absorbed three rate increases from Middlesex Water Company, which supplies its water, since East Brunswick last raised its own rates.

He said the cost of buying water from Middlesex Water is “the lion’s share of the cost for water.”

“Water is not free,” Criscuolo said. “People have this idea that hey, it’s you know, it’s out there. Get it? No, you have to take it and treat it and process it.”

He also pointed to major pipe work in recent years, including replacing lead service lines and a water line along Route 18. He said the township’s share of the Route 18 project was about $7 million to $8 million. He said a deal with the state cut that cost roughly in half compared with what the township would have paid on its own.

The utility also maintains about 2,600 fire hydrants and has to keep enough water in reserve to fight fires, he said.

On the sewer side, East Brunswick’s sewage has to be pumped to the Middlesex County Utilities Authority’s treatment plant in Sayreville. The township pays for both the electricity to pump it and the treatment.

Criscuolo said aging pipes are adding to the pressure. “We’re coming up on those 50-year service lines that need to be replaced,” he said.

He said the township’s consultant recommended raising sewer fees two years ago. The township held off because connection fees from new housing developments and businesses helped cover costs.

Criscuolo said East Brunswick’s sewer rate will remain one of the lowest in the area even after the increase. He said residents pay $80 a quarter now, compared with $170 a quarter in South Brunswick.

“We’re keeping our costs down, but we’re at the particular point where we have to do something because infrastructure in the state has to be replaced every certain amount of years,” he said.

Mayor Brad Cohen said the water and sewer departments run as separate utilities, so they’re paid for by users, not by the township’s general budget.

“They’re basically individual businesses that must be maintained and paid for by the user,” Cohen said.

The mayor said the utilities need healthy reserves in case of a disaster.

“You can’t always run to get a bond to cover that,” Cohen said. “So it’s just prudent management of a utility to have these type of funds available.”

He noted that the township is “one of the lowest” in the area for water and sewer rates.

“Whenever I read or hear from residents in surrounding towns telling me or showing or talking about their bills, it’s astronomically more than what we’re paying here,” Cohen said.

Losik said the utility isn’t trying to make a profit.

“Our motto kind of is Goldilocks pricing. We don’t want too much. We don’t want too little. We want just right,” he said. “So we’re not looking for anything more than cost recovery.”

Losik encouraged residents with galvanized service lines to contact the utility. He said those lines may be lead service lines, and the township will replace them.

Residents who haven’t had their water meters changed should also call to schedule a meter exchange, he said. The utility can do both at the same time.

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