Title
SAVE OUR WATER ORDINANCE.
AN INITIATIVE
Deferred 6PSF-c 090612 - PHO
Body
WHEREAS, life is impossible without water; and
WHEREAS, the City of Newark’s water supply and water infrastructure are among its most valuable assets; and
WHEREAS, Newark’s water and sewer systems must be run efficiently and effectively on behalf of Newark’s residents, businesses and other customers; and
WHEREAS, since access to safe and affordable water is crucial to the life of Newark, control of the water system must remain with the people of the City of Newark and not be subordinated to irresponsible and inequitable fiscal schemes; and
WHEREAS, establishment of a municipal utility authority would result in the loss of public accountability for the water system and the significant increase of public debt without offsetting long-lasting improvements; and
WHEREAS, a municipal utility authority can engage in no essential water and sewer operations that a municipal water department cannot; and
WHEREAS, municipal utility authorities elsewhere in New Jersey have frequently engaged in irresponsible, unauthorized and illegal activities; and
WHEREAS, the City of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania has failed financially because it guaranteed the debt of its municipal utility authority; and
WHEREAS, the City of Newark has not had a professional full-time Director of the Water and Sewer Utilities for many years; and
WHEREAS, the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation has interfered, contrary to its charter, in the operations of the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities; and
WHEREAS, the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation has spent public money irresponsibly, has engaged in unauthorized activities to turn itself into a municipal utility authority, and has been determined, according to the State Director of Local Government Services, to be operating in an unlawful manner; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities can perfor...
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