Council debates Trenton Water Works, agrees to seek assessment; three water-related resolutions tabled

Public comment and several council exchanges at Tuesday’s Trenton City Council meeting focused on Trenton Water Works, with residents and advocates urging fuller representation for outside service-area customers and council members pressing for a comprehensive financial assessment and clarification of options for addressing the utility’s multi-million-dollar capital needs.

Frank Cusack, who identified himself as a founder of the Coalition for Healthy Water, urged council to give service-area customers a seat at the table and questioned whether an ad hoc committee composed of three council members would be enough oversight for a regional utility issue. “This honestly feels to the people of the service area as the blind leading the blind,” Cusack said during public comment.

Other public speakers — including Becky Taylor and Mark Lexington — warned of disproportionate rate impacts on lower-income Trenton residents, urged clarity about repair cost estimates cited in consultant reports, and highlighted staff shortages and retention problems at the utility. Lexington asked council to examine overtime and pay in the water department, noting what he described as “pathetic” salaries…