Before South Orange votes on November 5 on whether or not to sell its water utility, residents can find out more about the proposal at three town halls — scheduled for Sept. 11, Sept. 25 and October 9.
At special meeting on July 29, the South Orange Village Council voted 4-2 to put the question of whether or not to sell its water utility on the ballot this November.
After years of discussion, research and a bidding process, South Orange received a bid of $19.7 million for its water utility from New Jersey American Water which also includes a “commitment of $50M in infrastructure upgrades over the next 10 years and the replacement of all lead lines on the utility and customer side.”
Now voters will decide if South Orange should move forward in negotiating a sale with NJAW.
RELATED: South Orange Planning Water Referendum Town Halls for Sept. & October
Read more about the upcoming town halls in the following press release from South Orange Village here:
September 3, 2024 – South Orange Village has scheduled three town hall meetings to discuss the potential sale of the water system to New Jersey American Water (NJAW). These meetings are part of a broader outreach plan aimed at informing and engaging the community before the issue appears on the November ballot.
“Our goal is to provide as much information as possible to South Orange residents regarding the potential sale of the water system to NJAW,” said Mayor Sheena Collum. “These three town halls are an important part of our outreach plan as they
will allow residents to ask their questions directly to elected officials, staff members, and representatives from NJAW.”
The town hall meetings will be held on the following dates:
Wednesday, September 11, 7 p.m. – Virtual (Link to be provided)
Wednesday, September 25, 7 p.m. – Virtual (Link to be provided)
Wednesday, October 9, 7 p.m. – In-person, Baird Community Center, 5 Mead Street, 3rd Floor
Links to attend the virtual meetings will be posted on the Village website calendar.
All meetings will be recorded and available on the website.
For questions, please contact Village Administrator Julie Doran at jdoran@southorange.org.
This story was first published on September 3, 2024.
