ASSEMBLY PUBLIC SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5538

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 15, 2025

      The Assembly Public Safety and Preparedness Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 5538.

      As reported by the committee, this bill would prohibit a municipal utilities authority from imposing water service charges for fire protection systems upon a fire district if the authority also imposes water service charges upon customers of the authority who are taxpayers of the fire district.  This would prevent a ratepayer who is also a taxpayer of the fire district from incurring more than one water service charge for fire protection services, which may occur under current law as a result of the payment of rates to the authority and the payment of taxes to the fire district.