Reader: Wantage Committee out of tune with voters, out of step with state

On June 25 the three Wantage Township committee members rescinded Ordinance 2008-16, which provided for a special assessment of property owners in the Lake Neepaulin community to repay the loan needed to repair the Lake Neepaulin dam. Their decision was short-sighted, unreasonable and unwise. Nearly 60 percent of the New Jersey electorate voted for the Dam, Lake, Stream, Flood Control, Water Resources and Wastewater Treatment Project Bond Act of 2003 which became Public Laws 2003, chapter 162. This law provides low interest loans to “owners of Private dams, or to private lake associations” and empowers the local government unit, as a co-borrower, to assess the properties that benefit from a local improvement, such as the repair of a dam. The bond issue not only received strong statewide support, but in Wantage 58 percent of the voters favored it. The numbers were even more staggering, however, in the district where Lake Neepaulin residents vote, for 65 percent voted for it there. Was the township committee unaware of these election results or did its members conveniently forget about them? On a related matter, 32 local government units across New Jersey have acted or will act as co-borrowers to rehabilitate 60 dams. As a co-borrower, the government unit guarantees repayment of the loan via a special assessment or, less likely, by some other means. West Milford Township has become a co-borrower for the repair of five dams and Vernon, with its recent decision to support Lake Panorama, will also become a co-borrower for five dams. Byram, Hampton, Hardyston, Jefferson and Randolph have all acted as co-borrowers. What happened to Wantage in this scheme of things and why have its committee members rescinded a perfectly legitimate and reasonable course of action to follow? Thomas Jable Wantage