1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

While the ethical and moral issues are central to opposition of an ICE detention facility, the infrastructure reality is equally undeniable: Roxbury does not have the capacity for this. • The Resource Gap: We are already at 93% of our water allocation. This facility was approved as a warehouse using 12,000 gallons per day. A facility of this size (4x the Delaney facility) could hold 4,000 people, requiring over 187,000 gallons daily. • The Regional Financial Risk: If our sewer mains and processing plant require expansion to handle this load, the cost falls on the Musconetcong Sewerage Authority (MSA). This would force rate hikes on residents in all 8 member towns, from Mount Olive to Jefferson. • The Environmental Ceiling: There is a hard limit to what the Musconetcong River can safely absorb. Pushing the ecosystem past its breaking point isn’t just a regulatory issue; it’s an environmental disaster. There is no legal excuse for inaction. It is important to note that New Jersey law does not prohibit either of the proposed ordinances. Furthermore, there is established legal precedent to support both a moratorium and a zoning amendment of this nature. By adopting these, the Council is simply exercising its right to protect its residents from a use that is both physically and fiscally unsustainable. I am asking that you pass the ordinances submitted by concerned community members: • The Moratorium: Modeled after Kansas City, MO, this puts an immediate pause on all applications for private prisons, including variances. This prevents developers from bypassing our zoning rules while we address these massive capacity concerns. • The Zoning Amendment: Just as Roxbury prohibits cannabis shops and new quarries, we must officially add "detention and incarceration facilities" to the list of non-permitted uses across all zones. Roxbury deserves a Council that proactively protects our water, our tax rates, our immigrant community, and our environment. I look forward to seeing these ordinances on the agenda for the next meeting and hearing your commitment to protecting our township.