Prohibits water companies from assessing more than one charge per fire hydrant to fire departments, fire districts, or volunteer fire companies for use of fire hydrants.
Summary
Assembly Bill 5081 would amend New Jersey’s water utility law to limit how investor-owned water companies may bill public fire-protection entities for hydrant use. The bill directs that no tariff approved by the Board of Public Utilities may impose more than one charge or fee per fire hydrant on a periodic bill to a fire department, fire district, or volunteer fire company. In effect, it bars multiple hydrant-related charges for the same hydrant on the same bill.
The bill also preserves existing authority for water companies to require separate dedicated fire service lines and to meter those lines, and it does not change existing rules on who is responsible for maintenance and repair of service lines. It takes effect immediately but is delayed for 60 days before becoming operative.
Impact
The bill would amend R.S.48:19-18, which governs the rates and terms under which New Jersey water companies may sell water and charge for fire protection-related services. It would add a new restriction on Board of Public Utilities tariff approval, preventing tariffs from authorizing more than one hydrant charge per hydrant on periodic bills to fire departments, fire districts, and volunteer fire companies. The measure would directly affect investor-owned water utilities and the public fire-protection entities that receive hydrant service, while leaving intact utilities’ ability to require dedicated fire lines, metering, and existing maintenance and repair liability rules.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears neutral and administrative rather than controversial. The proposal is framed as a billing limitation and consumer-cost protection measure for fire-protection providers, with no evidence in the record provided of organized opposition or support. The bill’s narrow scope suggests it is intended to clarify and standardize utility billing practices rather than make a broader policy change.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the restriction on utility revenue and billing flexibility: water companies may object to being barred from charging more than one hydrant-related fee per hydrant on periodic bills. Fire departments, fire districts, and volunteer fire companies are the beneficiaries of the limitation, as it is designed to prevent duplicate or layered charges. A secondary issue is that the bill does not eliminate all hydrant-related costs, since utilities may still require dedicated service lines and metering, which could limit the practical savings for fire-protection entities.
Carry Over
Prohibits water companies from assessing more than one charge per fire hydrant to fire departments, fire districts, or volunteer fire companies for use of fire hydrants.