Hurricane Sandy

Utility Companies Warn: Watch Out for Scams

In these post-Hurricane Sandy days, it pays to keep your guard up when someone is knocking on your door.

When people are vulnerable, predators are known to take advantage, so, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter that recently battered New Jersey, the New Jersey Utilities Association (NJUA) warns customers to be on guard against individuals that falsely claim to be utility company representatives.  Local utility companies, such as Middlesex Water Company, PSE&G, and Verizon, belong to the association. “The safety of our employees and customers is always job one for NJUA member utility companies.  While so many are reaching out to assist those whose lives have been disrupted by the recent storms, there are also the few who will take advantage of people at their time of need.  We want to remind our customers to take extra …

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Mayor to Give 'State of the Township' Address to Businesses

The Woodbridge business community will hear how things are going in the township from Mayor McCormac at a Tuesday Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Mayor John McCormac is scheduled to address the Woodbridge Chamber of Commerce and business community on Tuesday, Jan. 24, with a 'State of the Township' address during a Chamber luncheon. The address, which is held under the auspices of the Woodbridge Metro chamber, will be given at a noon luncheon at The Forge Restaurant & Banquet Center on Route 9 North in Woodbridge. Sponsoring the event are Verizon, CME Associations, Hess Corporation, Columbia Bank, Provident Bank, Berkeley College, James P. Nolan & Associates, and PSE&G. Tickets for the event are $55 for members and $75 for non members. For more information, call the Chamber at 732-636-4040.

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Cell Phones vs. Landlines: Verizon NJ Still Pays the Township $400,000

Woodbridge residents are keeping their landline service, and that keeps Verizon tax revenue in the township. In other towns where they've switched to cell phones, it's costing municipalities major tax losses.

The onslaught of cell phones has hugely impacted the landline telephone business of Verizon, with many people swapping out their traditional home telephones for a mobile cellular device. It's also doing a number on the finances of some towns. Because of a state statute, if the number of landline phone customers in a municipality drops below 51 percent of landline customers, Verizon NJ no longer has to pay what's known as a "personal property" tax. Because most Woodbridge Verizon customers have kept their traditional telephone service, the company is still required to pay that tax. In 2010, it amounted to almost $400,000 for Woodbridge, said Verizon spokesman Lee Gierczynski. But in towns such as Moorestown, where the percentage of landline…

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