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ACUA presents 2025 budget and says odor complaints have fallen since October spike
Summary
Atlantic County Utilities Authority told commissioners that infrastructure investments and an ARPA-funded permanent cap have reduced landfill odor complaints from last fall’s spike; ACUA proposed modest rate increases to cover rising personnel and health-benefit costs.
The Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) briefed the county commissioners on Dec. 17 on its 2025 budget and ongoing efforts to address last year’s odor complaints.
ACUA President Matt DeGapo told the board that infrastructure work between August and October is complete and that the authority expects notice to proceed on a permanent cap (funded in part through county ARPA dollars awarded at the November ACUA board meeting) in early 2025. DeGapo said the authority was in compliance with monitoring requirements for 288 days this year and described an October–March odor event that produced a 300% increase in odor complaints recorded through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) channels. He said complaint volumes had returned to a lower steady state by spring and that many repeat complaints came from a small group of individuals.
On the budget, ACUA proposed a 2% increase in wastewater rates and a 2.75% tip-fee increase for municipal solid waste. DeGapo said operating expenses were up roughly 2.27% overall, driven largely by personnel and state health-benefit cost increases (he cited a projected 16% increase in state health benefits). He described revenue offsets including shared-services sludge receipts and plans for a renewable natural gas (RNG) project that could reduce expenses by about $500,000 and generate as much as $2 million a year under current RIN values.
DeGapo also addressed staff concerns about job security after October’s public attention and a related lawsuit; commissioners and party leaders told ACUA representatives the county supports the authority and would not dissolve it. Commissioners discussed operational options — including greater use of a transfer station — to reduce near-term impacts while cell-replacement and closure phases continue.
What it means: ACUA is seeking modest rate increases and continued county support for capital work; the authority reported improvement in odor-related complaints but said zero odors is unrealistic for an active landfill. The board did not reject or approve the ACUA budget during this meeting; the presentation was an informational update and the board later voted routine resolutions related to grants and contracts.
Next steps: ACUA expects notice to proceed on cap work early in 2025 and invited commissioners to a planned ribbon-cutting for the RNG project in August 2025.
