Hamilton Litigation Seeks to Finally Get Fair Share From Robbinsville Without Further Delays

Since 2018, Robbinsville has racked up a $ 2,834,231.80 outstanding bill for using Hamilton’s sewer system.

And with the latest stalling tactic of Robbinsville’s Mayor suggesting that a “rate study” – which Hamilton’s CFO stated at a budget workshop would look at “10 years out” into the future – rather than paying its full bill from the past two years, Hamilton Township has filed suit against Robbinsville.

“The recent tactic by Robbinsville’s Mayor to mislead the public into believing that a ‘rate study’ would look at the distribution of costs now —  when such a study would consider the long-term financing of infrastructure projects 10 years into the future — was the ‘final straw’,” says Business Administrator David Kenny,  “This tactic illustrated to us the clear and willful intent of Robbinsville’s Mayor to use any possible excuse to stall paying the $ 2.8 million that they owe to Hamilton Township.  This misleading tactic left us no further choice other than seeking to recoup what is rightly owed to Hamiltonians through the courts.”

As part of the court filing, Hamilton will seek immediate compensation from Robbinsville for the outstanding $2.8 million that the neighboring town was billed for, but has not paid.

“With Robbinsville’s population growth during just the past few years – with its Town Center, its new residential developments and commercial properties like an Amazon warehouse, it is common sense that their town would not only be producing more sewage, but only fair that their town should be paying more for its increase use of our system,” says Kenny.

Further during the past two years, according to public documents, Robbinsville has been billing its own residents and business in far excess of what it has paid to Hamilton Township – allowing Robbinsville to increase its surplus. 

“I will not allow Hamiltonians to subsidize Robbinsville.  In June, I made my belief clear that calls for a rate study were simply being used as a stalling tactic.  I advised in writing that this ploy ‘would delay Hamiltonians receiving their fair share from Robbinsville for its of our sewer utility.’  Sadly, as summer comes to an end, I have been proven correct as Robbinsville has still not paid its fair share owed to Hamiltonians,” says Mayor Kelly Yaede.

“Our position has been simple, and clear – if 20 percent of sewage entering our system comes from Robbinsville, 20 percent of our system’s cost should be paid by Robbinsville.  Mayor Fried might not like that because it means his community would pay more, but anyone else would consider that ‘fair’, ‘reasonable’, and ‘common sense’.”