No BTMUA Rate Hike for 2013

Fozman: crunching numbers led to savings

Ratepayers of the Brick Towship Municipal Utilities Authority will not see their water and sewer rates rise for 2013, Commissioner Jim Fozman said. Fozman, who also serves on the township council, said he and fellow commissioner George Cevasco worked with Chief Financial Officer Frank Planko to find savings at the regional water and sewer authority. As a result, rates will not rise this year, he said. "We managed to come up with a zero percent rate increase," said Fozman. "That was really big. It's the first time in years we've had no increase." Fozman said the bulk of the savings was generated by reducing the utility's five year plan budget by $2 million and using funds dedicated to specific projects or sites – such as the reservoir on …

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Fozman: I Won't Take MUA Pay

Councilman says he'll decline stipend, health waiver as MUA commissioner

Brick Councilman Jim Fozman will work for free as a Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority commissioner. Fozman announced Friday, via a press release, that he would turn down a $2,500 stipend as well as a $5,000 waiver for opting out of MUA-provided health insurance. "The public deserves an explanation," Fozman said in his statement. "For the record, I am taking no salary, no stipend, no benefits package as the newest BTMUA commissioner." "In keeping with 'eliminating Cadillac benefits plans for MUA appointees,' being a watchdog for the people is the right thing and this is the new norm." Eliminating benefits for MUA appointees was incorporated as part of the campaign literature distributed by Fozman – a Democrat – and his three …

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Mrgrumpass

7:01 am on Thursday, January 24, 2013

IF YOU LOOK CAREFULY DURING COUNCIL MEETINGS YOU MIGHT SEE HANDS BEHIND HIM PULLING THE STRINGS!   more ›

Fozman Appointed to Brick MUA, Will Remain on Council

Some residents upset with council's decision

Jim Fozman will simultaneously serve as a township councilman as well as a commissioner for the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority. The township council appointed Fozman to a five year term on the regional water and sewerage authority despite the objection of fellow Councilman Joseph Sangiovanni, the sole member of the governing body to vote against his appointment. Council members Bob Moore, John Ducey and Susan Lydecker – all Democrats – voted in favor of Fozman's appointment. Councilman Domenick Brando, a Republican, abstained from the vote because he is a BTMUA employee. Councilman Dan Toth, also a Republican, was absent from the meeting. Following the vote, residents excoriated the council – especially Moore, the newly-…

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Brick Resevoir Walking Path Reopens

Path reopened as of Tuesday

The Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority has announced the popular walking trail around its resevoir in the Herbertsville section has reopened to the public. The trail had been closes since Hurricane Irene struck. The resevoir is open through Dec. 15 from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. From Dec. 16 through March 31, it is open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The resevoir's parking areas are located at 811 Herbertsville Road, Brick, and 2429 Metedeconk Road, Allenwood (Wall).

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Are Brick's Streets Properly Patched After Construction Projects?

Resident complains his street was never repaired to neighbors' satisfaction

Tunes Brook Drive is, by most accounts, a peaceful street. Situated on the Tunes Brook Branch of Kettle Creek, the road is near Brick's southern border, and the waterway from which it derives its name provides residents with a quick outlet to Barnegay Bay. But since a Brick Municipal Utilities Authority sewer project last year, neighbors say their street has lost its peaceful feeling, as drivers are jolted by pot holes and deteriorating patchwork. It's the same situation in the northern part of town, where residents of Bluff View Drive deal with many of the same issues, also following a BTMUA sewer line project about two years ago. The issue is receiving attention from township officials after a Tunes Brook Drive resident pleaded his …

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Water, Sewer Rates to Rise in Brick

Combination of factors led to increase, officials say

A combination of higher fees from the Ocean County Utilities Authority, increased payroll and operating expenses as well as a reduction in revenues are behind a water and sewer rate increase, officials said at a rate hearing Monday night. The Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority will raise rates by 3.9 percent overall, allowing the authority to collect an extra $1.3 million. The increases are set to take effect April 1. Chief Financial Officer Frank Planko said the agency, which provides water and sewerage services to Brick and sells water to several other municipalities, will operate under a $36.7 million budget this year. With the rate increase, a resident who uses 15,000 gallons of water per quarter will see their bill rise from…

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Hurricane Irene

Brick Reservoir A-OK, Officials Say

Facility was given the once-over on Tuesday

An earthquake and a hurricane can take a toll on a reservoir, but Brick's facility came out of a round of tests with flying colors, officials said Tuesday. The reservoir, off Sally Ike Road in the township's Herbertsville section, was closed Tuesday to residents who use the facility as a walking and jogging route. The reservoir was being checked out by engineers who were called in the ensure the facility was structurally sound following two events – the earthquake and the hurricane – in one week. "Right now, everything's great," said Jim Lacey, director of the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority, which runs the reservoir. Lacey said engineers performed a number of tests Tuesday, which included both a visual inspection and a number…

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