The meeting will include an information session, and a question-and-answer period. Information will be provided by Borough professionals, including both legal counsel and engineering representatives. A large portion of the meeting will be reserved for public questions on the subject of the suit, settlement, and resulting impact.
“This has been a complex situation to navigate, and the Borough believes it is important that there is an opportunity to have an open dialogue about the facts surrounding this matter,” said Roselle Park Business Administrator Andrew J. Casais. “All interested residents are welcomed and encouraged to attend this meeting on July 11.”
The lawsuit arose as a reslt of a century-old handshake agreement between Elizabeth and Roselle Park which permitted the borough to connect their sewer system to Elizabeth’s. Problems arose when, in the last few decades, the EPA began fining municipalities for allowing sanitary sewage overflows. Due to Elizabeth’s anachronistic sewer system that combines stormwater and wastewater, they are subject to fines each time there is an overflow.
Elizabeth began formally monitoring how much additional overflow they were incurring from Roselle Park roughly ten years ago. The two municipalities entered negotiations on a repayment plan shortly afterward, but after talks hit a dead end, Elizabeth filed the suit. The city initially requested a whopping $40 million — backdating the overage fees to several decades before the EPA began fining them for overflow — and that Roselle Park build their independent sewer system. The lawsuit was subsequently negotiated down to $4 million, which the borough will now have to repay over a number of years, while simultaneously preparing an independent sewage line.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, 2024, and will take place in Council Chambers at Roselle Park Borough Hall located at 110 East Westfield Avenue, Roselle Park, NJ.
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