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Pequannock moves toward recorded abandonment agreements after unauthorized sewer lateral work and a billing complaint
Summary
After a business owner reported an incorrect sewer hookup and billing for quarters when he said he was not connected, the council discussed inspection follow-up and a plan to accept recorded abandonment agreements for privately installed lateral sewer lines; an attorney for affected property owners described cutting and recording the lines as a compromise.
A Pequannock business owner told the council Dec. 16 that his building suffered a sewer overflow after a recent sewer project and that he later received a bill for quarters he says should not apply because his unit was never properly connected.
David Schultz said contractors initially made a connection error, leaving him without water and sewer service for a week and ultimately requiring a later corrective connection inside the property. “I get a bill saying I owed third and fourth quarter of 24. And I don't think I should pay it cuz I was never hooked up,” Schultz said during public comment.
Town staff acknowledged the billing system begins on the date an inspector determines availability, and said staff would follow up with the engineering firm and return with documentation. Council members asked staff to expedite a review because the property owner needs to close or sell the building.
Separately, Attorney Frank Skangangerella, representing nearby property owners, explained that during construction the contractor laid pipe that was not intended to be connected and later some portions were connected. He described a compromise to have the property owners cut the pipe back at the main, record a formal abandonment agreement in the land records and reinspect the cut-back to ensure the pipes are not usable without council approval. “We cut it back from the street... do a formal abandonment agreement that's recorded in the land records so that when [an owner] goes to convey the property... everybody will be on notice,” Skangangerella said.
The council approved a resolution (2025-222) authorizing acceptance of non-use and abandonment agreements for lateral sewer lines with named property owners and directed staff to inspect and document the status of the lines before finalizing any recorded agreement.
Next steps: staff will coordinate excavation and inspection to verify the disconnection, finalize abandonment terms, and present the recorded agreement to the council for formal acceptance.
