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Allendale officials say Veolia billing concerns persist as borough monitors resident litigation and readies Green Acres pre‑application
Summary
Council and borough legal staff reported ongoing discussions with Veolia over water‑billing and easement issues, disclosed that a resident has filed litigation against Veolia, and said the borough is preparing a Green Acres pre‑application to dedicate a pocket of land for passive recreation while coordinating sewer improvements with the Bergen County Utilities Authority.
Borough officials told the council on Feb. 13 they are continuing talks with Veolia, the borough's water‑services contractor, after several residents raised concerns about water bills, and that the borough is monitoring new litigation filed by a resident against the company.
"There have been several residents that have had concerns about water bills and we are in conversation with them," Acting Mayor Liz Holman said, adding: "I do encourage individuals that are having a concern about their water bill to absolutely call Veolia to escalate it up to ask for a manager. And thirdly, if they're really not getting the satisfaction that they need, they do have the BPU as an opportunity to reach out to them."
Borough attorney Ray Whis told the council the borough is watching the litigation closely and is working to avoid becoming a named party. "We are monitoring that litigation and seeing where it goes and hoping the borough does not wind up being a party to that matter," he said.
Whis also reported progress on a separate planning process: borough engineers are preparing a Green Acres pre‑application to dedicate an area on New Street for passive recreation to resolve a decades‑old encroachment issue. He said the pre‑application could be filed shortly and that the process to reconcile the matter with Green Acres could take roughly nine to 12 months.
On sewer infrastructure, Holman said the borough is in regular contact with Veolia and will meet with the Bergen County Utilities Authority to discuss system improvements and inflow/infiltration mitigation. She emphasized that sewer is one of the borough's largest budget items after public safety and said officials are balancing infrastructure needs against development and affordable‑housing mandates.
No formal action or directive to litigate was taken at the meeting; council members directed staff to continue coordination with Veolia and county utility officials and to keep residents informed about escalation options and next steps.
What's next: Borough engineers expect to file the Green Acres pre‑application soon; the council will continue monitoring the resident litigation against Veolia and has not indicated the borough will itself be a party to that suit at this time.
