Brielle council adopts revised water and sewer rates after public hearing

The Brielle Mayor and Council on Jan. 28 adopted an amendment to Chapter 15 of the borough code governing sewer and water rates after a public hearing and technical presentations.

Administrator Thomas Nolan told the council the Water Utility budget for 2025 was $2,120,500 and — given approximately 2,100 customer accounts — that equated to about $1,009.77 per household per year (about $252.45 per quarter). Nolan said a $220 minimum covered part of that amount, with excess-usage charges accounting for the remainder. He explained that a December 2024 ordinance revising excess-usage fees intended to roll the Manasquan Reservoir/SEMMUA charge into the minimum but, because that step was not completed before the first quarter billing, the fee remained on bills and prompted strong public reaction after later bills were issued.

Engineer Pat Cole said the separate Manasquan/SEMMUA charge originally reflected an infrastructure expense that remains valid because the borough faces recurring capital and operating costs. Cole said the ordinance’s objective was to better align charges with consumption while providing relief to low users; the proposal discussed at the hearing would lower the minimum to $175 and increase the included allocation from 5,000 to 10,000 gallons to reduce bills for smaller households.

Residents questioned the data underlying the borough’s usage calculations. James Bond (1009 Riverview Drive) asked how the borough could conclude residents used “more than double the normal per household usage” when unmetered accounts and stopped meters might distort the base data. Cole acknowledged those factors, and said the borough saw a sustained demand increase after COVID as well as growth from new construction and household features such as pools. Cole added that installing new meters in public buildings and replacing stopped meters should improve revenue capture and leakage detection.

Several residents asked for concrete guidance on expected lawn-watering volumes and audit procedures. Cole recommended using a rain gauge to track precipitation and said both Brielle and SEMMUA conduct annual audits; he did not give a specific gallons-per-week figure for lawn watering.

The hearing closed on motions by Councilman Gianforte and Councilman Shaak. The council then introduced and passed Resolution 26-32 on final reading to adopt the ordinance and approved Resolution 26-33 to publish the ordinance’s adoption. The vote was recorded as ayes from Councilmembers Colon, Gianforte, Laufer, Shaak and Visceglia; no nays were recorded.

What’s next: The ordinance will be published as required and the borough will proceed with planned meter replacements and continued public outreach about the new billing structure.