Ocean County Officials To Make Requests of JCP&L

Ocean County officials next week will have a long-awaited meeting with representatives from the electrical utility that serves the majority of county residents.

The county and its freeholder board, particularly Freeholder Director Joe Vicari, has been tough on Jersey Central Power & Light since Superstorm Sandy struck. Vicari has also staunchly opposed a proposed $736 million rate hike that would raise energy bills about 4.5 percent.

In the planned meeting, Vicari said this week, county officials will request the utility reinspect the county's electrical grid following a patchwork of repairs made in Sandy's wake and figure out a better way to get street light outages fixed.

Local officials have expressed to their county counterparts that they'd like a hotline where they can immediately get in touch with JCP&L with regard to consumer complaints and other issues.

"Fire services also want an easier way to get in touch," said Vicari.

After Sandy struck in Oct. 2012, the utility was roundly criticized for what some saw as a slow response to fix resulting power outages. Others criticized a lack of capital improvements to the Shore area's power grid and equipment.

The utility and the staff of the BPU reached a tentative deal in late February raise rates 4.5 percent to cover JCP&L's costs stemming from the hurricanes Irene and Sandy and several nor'easters. The hike requires the approval of the full board before it can be implemented.

“This request from the utility company is unreasonable and I urge the BPU not to place another financial burden on our residents,” said Vicari in a letter to the board.

Vicari previously asked for a moratorium on rate hikes in storm-stricken communities.

JCP&L says it needs the rate hike to cover $736 million in repair bills. If the increase is approved by the BPU, the average customer's bill would go up by about $4.41 per month, NJ.com previously reported.