Parsippany Council Passes Utility Resolution

PARSIPPANY, NJ—The Parsippany Town Council unanimously passed a resolution at its Sept. 15 meeting calling for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to reject any utility rate increase for township residents.

The measure comes nearly two months after Tropical Storm Isiais wreaked havoc in New Jersey, knocking out power, internet, and other key services to some of Parsippany for up to 10 days.

"None of our residents should have to wait weeks or even days to have their power restored," said councilwoman Janice McCarthy, "especially during a serious pandemic that is forcing many of us to stay at home."

The resolution calls for the rejection of any utility price increases this year unless companies make a commitment to prevent another long-term outage.

This is not the first time Parsippany officials asked for the BPU to get involved. Last August, McCarthy, Mayor Michael Soriano, and others called for the BPU to conduct an investigation of utility companies' response to the tropical storm.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities oversees regulated services like electric, gas, water, and telecommunications. According to its website, the BPU ensures safe, adequate utility services at reasonable rates. The BPU operates as a semi-judicial body, similar to a court or judge.

The BPU did not return a request for comment on Wednesday.

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