Bernards Township Establishes Utility Task Force

BASKING RIDGE, NJ—Bernards Township last week established a new committee charged with advocating for residents with local utility providers.

The Utility Advisory Task Force will assess the level of service to customers in Bernards Township, identify areas of concern and needs for improvement, improve communication regarding outages, and coordinate resident feedback to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

"This committee will come up with ways to better help with our service providers," said Mayor Jim Baldassare, "and ensure better communication and advocating with the BPU."

The New Jersey BPU oversees regulated utilities in the state, including water, natural gas, electric, and cable providers. The new committee was established following what the township said were poor responses and communication by providers following a Halloween storm in 2011, Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Isaias in August.

The committee may include an administrator, an emergency management representative, the mayor or a committee member, and certain members of the public. Township Committee member John Carpenter, who has been in favor of the new body, said he was pleased to see its formation.

"It's long overdue," said Carpenter.

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