State reps go on record in opposition to tax increase This letter is written in response to a letter to the editor from Michael Messinger ("Residents Put on Notice that Water Rates Could Increase," News Transcript, April 30). Fear not, Marlboro residents, your representatives in Trenton agree that you already pay enough in taxes and fees, and we are not going to support legislation, however well-intentioned, that will continue to raise taxes. That is why we have pledged our opposition to S-1454, Sen. Robert Smith's bill to raise your water bills by an estimated $32 annually. The water consumption tax revenue would fund open space preservation, which is a worthy goal; however, considering the state's financial situation, we do not agree that levying an additional tax is an acceptable way to accomplish that goal. A second issue raised in Mr. Messinger's letter was the impact of an application by the Middlesex Water Company to expand their infrastructure. The state Board of Public Utilities accepted the application in February and has directed an administrative law judge to review evidence of the application's necessity. The judge has granted the Marlboro Township Municipal Utilities Authority a formal role in the application process in order to help protect the water customers of Marlboro. The judge has also scheduled public hearings on the application for late August. As more details become available about this process, we will make sure Marlboro residents affected by this possible rate increase know about the schedule. We oppose the application by the Middlesex Water Company because we believe the goals they seek to achieve by infrastructure construction could be more efficiently accomplished by purchase or acquisition, rather than new construction. We also believe that the current state of the economy and housing market make this a poor time to be expanding capacity to meet an alleged need. We have been loud critics of the Board of Public Utilities for wasteful spending and mismanagement and will continue to hold their feet to the fire on this issue. Sen. Jennifer Beck Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande 12th Legislative District Monmouth-Mercer