Jersey City Officials Demand MUA, Suez Water Fees Restructure

JERSEY CITY, NJ —Mayor Steven Fulop and the Jersey City Municipal Council are demanding the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority and Suez halt all fees related to solid waste disposal until the fee structure is fully reevaluated and reconfigured to accurately reflect the original intention of the reformed fee structure. In response to residents’ concerns over bills much higher than expected, the Fulop Administration demanded Suez put the fees on hold until the entire formula is reevaluated.

The MUA took on the solid waste contract at the start of 2021 to create more fairness so that all entities citywide – including tax abated buildings - pay their fair share, just as every other resident has been doing for years. The agreement was a $15 increase per month to the average Jersey City residence, which would be offset by a reduction in taxes.

“Residents have explained to us that they are being way overcharged on what was supposed to be a nominal fee for their waste collection after these services were acquired by the MUA,” said Mayor Fulop. “In response, I’m asking people not to pay their bills specific to the solid waste collection fees until the MUA rectifies the issue, and for those who have already paid, we will make sure you get a credit for future payments.”

Historically, the City provided waste disposal services through an outside vendor until January 2021, when the MUA officially accepted the assignment of the solid waste contract. The fees are supposed to be calculated based on a household’s water use and waste generated, with the average increase estimated to be in the range of $15 a month per household. The restructuring also looked to ensure tax abated buildings would be included to pay their fair share.

Members of the council sounded off on the decision, Councilman James Solomon said,

"I’m going to file this under ‘better late than never,’” said Solomon. “We’ve been sounding the alarm on this backdoor, regressive, $300 flat tax on low income families since February. I’m not sure why it took the administration this long to figure it out. I’m just glad they did. I appreciate the work done by Jersey City residents who have made their voices heard on this issue. We’re going to remain vigilant to make sure real action is taken to eliminate this unfair tax.”

Councilman Rolando Lavarro said:

"I'm glad to see that Mayor Fulop has reversed course on his MUA backdoor tax. To be clear, the original intention of Mayor Fulop's backdoor tax was never to create 'tax fairness.' If it was it missed the mark, and by a whole lot. Scores of people have been complaining for months about the Fulop backdoor tax."