HOPEWELL, NJ – A petition objecting to the sale of the borough’s water system without a public vote has succeeded in delaying the potential privatization that had been in the works.

On August 5, local residents submitted 222 signatures seeking a referendum before any water system sale, after the Borough Council invoked the Water Infrastructure Protection Act (WIPA), a move that could allow for a permanent privatization without the public vote typically required.

“Privatization leads to higher costs for water customers, so we are pleased that Hopewell Borough won’t be able to rush into a privatization deal under flawed legislation like WIPA,” said Charlie Kratovil, Central Jersey Organizer at Food & Water Watch.

With just over six weeks to gather signatures to force a vote, residents organized quickly and connected with Food & Water Watch to develop and circulate the petition.

“As a resident of Hopewell Borough, I was very concerned about the possibility of our water, our most precious resource, becoming privatized,” said G.G. Glazer, a Food & Water Watch volunteer who helped collect and deliver the petition signatures.  “With the help of Food & Water Watch, concerned residents came together to give our community the chance to have a voice in this decision and the time to investigate any and all alternatives.”

The delay gives the borough time to pursue a $2.34 million grant to fund better treatment systems to produce its own water instead of purchasing water from NJ American Water.  The ongoing purchasing of bulk water from NJ American Water has driven up costs for residents.

With only a short window of time to collect the 121 signatures required, volunteers collected more than enough to force the issue onto the ballot, and the petition was deemed sufficient.

But the local government now concedes that iit would be statutorily impossible to hold the referendum on the issue in this upcoming general election.  Therefore, the earliest that a water system sale could be put to voters would be the November 2025 election.

“Each municipality has its own unique set of circumstances regarding its water system, and I’m hopeful that, by working together with our very informed and creative residents, our elected officials can find the path to keeping our water system our own,” said Glazer.