Council began looking at the option to reorganize township’s water, wastewater management in fall 2015
In the fall of 2015, Town Council directed the municipality to review potentially dissolving the Evesham Municipal Utilities Authority and reorganizing the township’s water and wastewater management as a department under the municipality.
What followed was more than a year of discussions, analysis, research and state review, but when the dust settled, the municipality and MUA remained two separate entities, just as they had since the MUA was created in the 1950s.
About 96 percent of Evesham residents rely on the MUA for their water, and about 97 percent of residents rely on the MUA for their wastewater services.
Throughout the year, Czerniecki would continue to outline what he believed were the major benefits of dissolving the MUA and reorganizing its services under the township.
Perhaps the biggest benefits were $4.3 million in possible savings across 10 years should the MUA’s debt be reissued as municipal debt, as well the release of about $9 million the MUA is forced to hold in restricted reserves due to its status as an entity without taxing authority.
Time and time again, Czerniecki noted those savings would be in addition to savings the municipality and MUA could gain by scheduling underground work in conjunction with the township’s road repair program.
Opponents of MUA dissolution would cite concerns of a future, potential sale of the township’s water system to a private company, as well as questioning the need to dissolve an MUA they argued already adequately served the township.
The township’s proposal eventually made its way to the New Jersey Local Finance Board, which approved Evesham’s application to dissolve the MUA.
Throughout the rest of the spring, summer and fall, the township would continue to review the issue, tabling a final dissolution ordinance several times.
Of note, upon council’s original introduction of the dissolution ordinances, the five Republicans who hold full control of council had a rare 3–2 split vote, with Brown, Deputy Mayor Ken D’Andrea and Councilman Bob DiEnna voting yes, and Councilwoman Debbie Hackman and Councilman Steve Zeuli voting no.
A supermajority of at least four votes would have been necessary to refinance the MUA’s debt and move the dissolution process forward.
However, that never came to pass, as come October the township stepped away from plans related to MUA dissolution.
Instead, the township decided that the municipality and MUA would remain separate entities and simply work closer together to implement efficiency standards and monetary savings discovered during the township’s research into MUA operations.
The MUA will also work to conduct valve replacement work in conjunction with the township’s road program to prevent unnecessary repaving of road surfaces.
