Hunterdon County Commissioner Director Kuhl calls upon NJ Legislature to grant more time for implementation of new storm water regulations
HUNTERDON COUNTY, NJ – Hunterdon County Commissioner Director Jeff Kuhl recently shared that he recently sent a letter on behalf of the Commissioner Board to state legislators, in Districts 15, 16, and 23, requesting their collective assistance with delaying the implementation of the NJDEP’s new Stormwater Management Rules (SMR) on municipal governments.
The revised SMR establishes general requirements for stormwater management plans and control ordinances that focus on water retention, recharge, and flood prevention at an increased cost to taxpayers.
A copy of this letter was also mailed to Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey Association of Counties, New Jersey League of Municipalities, New Jersey Conference of Mayors, and all Hunterdon County municipalities.
“I have been contacted by local leaders of both major political parties who have expressed their concerns and reservations about the ability of their community to meet the new mandates of the NJDEP Stormwater Management Rule. The Tier A MS4 Stormwater Permit destination is particularly cumbersome and expensive for small municipalities with limited staff and razor-thin budgets. Many of these communities lack critical items such as street sweepers, sewer jetter trucks, and GIS-mapped water systems which are all needed to meet these new mandates,” Kuhl said.
The impact of New Jersey’s SMR on taxpayers will involve new costs that come on top of record inflationary pressures of already increased costs for residents on everything ranging from gasoline, vehicles, parts, tools, and paper goods. Additionally, supply chain disruptions continue to impact the ability to acquire the needed resources to meet the general mandates for the stormwater management plan. To put things in perspective, Director Kuhl noted that Hunterdon County has been waiting nearly a year for delivery of a replacement street sweeper truck.
The NJDEP has offered grants to municipalities to help offset the cost of implementation for communities to address infrastructure needs, but ultimately the financial responsibility for these mandates and the overall cost impact will be shouldered by local property taxpayers.
“I urge you to act swiftly and decisively in a bipartisan manner to help our property taxpayers and delay these cumbersome and expensive rules. We cannot continue down this path without the help of our leaders in Trenton working to bend the cost curve. New Jersey is too expensive and the continuous squeeze on taxpayers will result in more and more residents and businesses leaving this state for lower-cost alternatives,” Kuhl said.
