WEST MILFORD It was by a very narrow margin, but the town council voted on Wednesday night to withdraw from the Wanaque Valley Sewerage Authority. To the dismay of some, it was a 3-2 decision in favor of relinquishing membership, cutting all ties between the town and the authority. The Wanaque Sewerage Authority was a partnership comprised of three towns - Ringwood, Wanaque, and West Milford. On July 10 of this year, Wanaque Borough Council voted unanimously to dissolve the authority. However, to bring that dissolution into effect, both West Milford and Ringwood had to agree to that move and declare their intent to quit. Ringwood has not yet officially withdrawn from the authority. “By withdrawing from this ... we are going to have to put out a lot of bucks,” said Councilman Phil Weisbecker, “It’s irresponsible and a slap in the face to taxpayers.” Weisbecker’s comment referred to the $510,000 West Milford paid into the authority in 1999, as a result of the settlement of a lawsuit carried out by Wanaque Borough. Some on the council argued that the town should demand repayment of that money before leaving. The sewerage plant, however, has $17 million in outstanding bonds, and applied for an additional $1.5 million to provide cash flow. The prospect of getting money back seems unlikely, and did not sway those keen to leave. Council President Bill Gervens has been the strongest proponent of withdrawing from the authority, fearing that the sewerage plant’s financial and legal position could spill over into West Milford. Gervens said, “They have problems; they are going to get sued. They have engineering problems. It’s a liability to West Milford.” Weisbecker believes the Wanaque plant gives West Milford an emergency outlet should there ever be sewerage failure in town, at no cost to the taxpayers. “I think this is not a good idea. There will be sewers in this town at some point.” This brought an immediate response from Councilman James Warden who believes that by remaining within the authority, it provides future possible housing developers with a potent argument for allowing more homes in town. Warden said, “If you are against high-density development how can you say we will have sewers? If you are against high-density development then you have to be against Wanaque Sewerage facility. By opting out of this, we are being very responsible to taxpayers.” Weisbecker replied, “I am not in favor of high-density development. By agreeing to this tonight, you have just put the burden on the taxpayers.” Weisbecker and Councilman Joe Smolinksi voted to remain within the authority, while Gervens, Warden and Councilman Bob Nolan voted to leave. Councilman Carmen Scangarello recused himself as he is an employee of Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority. In other news: The long-debated ordinance to fight “pay to play” was finally passed on Wednesday. The new law will strengthen already existing state laws which will attempt to end any link between donations to political candidates and government contracts. The law, which will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2007, says that individuals that donate more than $300 toward a township candidate will not be allowed to bid on township contracts. Councilman Bob Nolan said, “This is a good government ordinance and I am proud of this council’s decision to pass it.” The township contract to pick up recycling was withheld on Wednesday night. Current vendor, Blue Diamond Disposal, was the only company who placed a bid with the township, and this has caused several on the council to question the bidding process. The council will now consider splitting the bid into separate contracts for paper, glass, etc., as well as possibly re-bidding the combined contract. One possible fear, though, was voiced by Councilman Carmen Scangarello, “Blue Diamond knows they were the only bidder this time. What if they are the only bidder next time, but they increase their price?” Councilmen Bob Nolan and Phil Weisbecker both said, however, that they were uncomfortable awarding a contract of this size when there had been only one bidder. They both proposed asking Blue Diamond if they will agree to service picking up the recycling on a short term contract, possibly month to month until another bidding process is completed. The matter will be reviewed again by the council once assurances have been obtained that a recycling agreement for the first weeks and months of 2007 will not lapse.