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Council debates $583,000 engineering contract and nine‑year sewer compliance timeline
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Summary
Edison council and residents pressed the administration about a $583,000 engineering contract for sewer inspection/design and whether required ACO/iBank rules force costly outside contracting rather than in‑house repairs. Officials said iBank/ACO rules require engineering, reporting and contractor oversight; the council asked for a detailed scope and timeline at the next meeting.
The Edison Municipal Council spent more than 25 minutes questioning the administration on April 22 about two linked water‑and‑sewer engineering contracts and how the township will meet obligations under a state consent order.
One council member challenged the need to pay an engineering firm to produce bid specifications and supervise work that he said township crews could partly perform, calling the repeated rounds of design fees wasteful. “We spent millions on engineering fees,” the council member said, arguing the town should either commit to in‑house repairs or consider selling the utility if it will not do the work internally.
The water and sewer director acknowledged the township has increased staff and performs many repairs in house, but said projects funded through the infrastructure bank (iBank) and required by the ACO (administrative consent order) must follow engineering and bidding protocols. “With the ACO and funding through the iBank… it all has to go through contractors,” the director said, adding that the town is training staff to do more in‑house work but that technical reporting and iBank compliance require professional oversight.
Administration and staff told the council that the phase‑1 report by Liro Engineering identified more than 360 manholes and about 800 gravity‑sewer segments needing work and that engineers categorized issues by severity. Officials said the ACO compliance window began in 2023 and extends nine years, through 2032, placing a statutory schedule on inspections and repairs.
Council members asked for a clearer breakdown of phases, the relationship between inspection, design and construction oversight, and an itemized forecast of expected costs and what the in‑house crew can reasonably accomplish. The presiding officer asked the water and sewer director to provide a short, council‑ready report at the next meeting documenting accomplishments, outstanding requirements under the ACO and anticipated contractor or staffing needs.
What happens next: The council requested a phase‑by‑phase scope, estimated repair costs, and a schedule for the nine‑year ACO work so members can decide which elements must be contracted and which can be completed by township crews. The director said he would return prepared to summarize progress and remaining contractual needs.
