Media Release
CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mayor Albert Kelly
(856) 455-3230 Ext 200
BRIDGETON TO CREATE WATER
STUDY COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE
With cuts in state aid to
municipalities and the need to examine alternatives for the City’s budget,
Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly announced the formation of an ad-hoc study committee
comprised of local citizens and officials to examine the pros and cons of
privatizing the City’s water utility.
With basically everything
from cuts and changes in certain services to tax increases being considered,
Kelly is asking the water study committee to examine privatization of the
City’s water utility to see if it would be something that could deliver the
service with less strain on the City’s budget and at a reasonable cost to
residents
“We’re anticipating less
state aid for municipalities; therefore it is incumbent on us to look at a
number of areas to cut services, raise taxes or find other revenue sources to fill
the gaps and take care of the needs of the residents. With this in mind I am forming a water study
committee to review and make recommendations on privatization of our municipal
water system” Kelly said.
According to Kelly, much
of City’s water and sewer infrastructure is over 100 years old and because of
its age, maintaining and upgrading the system is difficult and cost
prohibitive. As a result, Kelly will be calling on the committee to work in
concert with Department of Public Works Director Dean Dellaquila to study the
issues surrounding privatization, review alternatives, and make
recommendations.
“The study is non-binding
and all recommendations will be fully vetted by administration officials and City
Council before anything is decided. Any proposed
solutions involving privatization would have to be beneficial for residents as
well as any firm wishing to bid on such a proposal”, said Kelly.
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