At last night’s Bloomfield Council meeting, tenants stood up to support a rent freeze, while three landlords spoke against the idea.
Rent control advocates had previously requested the council enact a rent freeze before September 1, when many tenants’ rents would go up. They had suggested that the freeze stay in effect until the newly-created Rent Control Advisory Committee issues a recommendation about whether or not to reinstate rent control in the township. The council had agreed to have Township Attorney Brian Aloia look into it and report back to them.
During the public comment period, Kevin Lindahl, a rent control advocate who lives on Conger Street, exhorted the council to enact the rent freeze. In response, Township Attorney Aloia stated that the township had received legal advice that there could be ramifications for the town if it passed a unilateral rent freeze. He said they needed to do further research before making such a decision, as it could open up the township to lawsuits. He did not elaborate further, citing attorney-client privilege.
Several landlords said that in their buildings, rent increases were not exorbitant, and that they had expenses they needed to cover. One, Michael Goldberg, said he wanted his tenants to be able to stay in his buildings and did not want to push anyone out. Since one of his tenants had spoken in support of the rent freeze, saying she now had to dip into savings to pay her rent, Mayor McCarthy suggested they go discuss the issues in a nearby office. They left the council chambers to work things out.
Prior to the public comment period, the council promoted Fire Captain Cliff McCulloch to Fire Department Deputy Chief, and Firefighters John Gray, Steven Zurlo, Kevin Nelson, James McCann and James McCarthy, to the rank of Fire Department Captain.
The council also heard a presentation by CEO Daryl Blowes of IQM2 Intelligent Meeting Management Software, and subsequently approved the expenditure of $16,300 to purchase the software. The software will automate the entire public meeting process, including agenda preparation, meeting compilation and public information dissemination, thus making it more efficient and transparent to the public.
In other business, the council memorialized previous resolutions and ordinances pertaining to the redevelopment agreement between the township and Heritage Village at Bloomfield Urban Renewal, LLC, to develop the lot next to the Post Office as an affordable senior housing project.
The next meeting of the Bloomfield Council will be a conference meeting to be held at 7 p.m. on August 22, in Room 205 in the Law Enforcement Building.
Why Sept 1st? Why not July 1st before my rent went up. $10 in 2 years – oh the horror. Why does this group seem like it’s all about them and them only.
I’m a renter in Bloomfield and I really don’t get this…are people being gouged? I’ve never had a landlord slap a huge increase on my rent ever and I’ve been renting here for close to 20 years.
Also I don’t like the tactic of ringing random doorbells until someone lets you in the building – which is how they got into mine. They could have left flyers in the lobby for anyone interested. No need to wander the halls knocking on peoples doors and stuffing flyers under doors (aka littering) I pay to live in a security building for a reason.
Right on, hr. I rented for 3 years in Bloomfield without an increase.
Perhaps with property owners now needing to pass on higher property taxes, more renters will begin to pay additional attention to tax issues in the town.
The rent is too damn HIGH!
I hope so bebopgun. People have said to me but you rent what do you care about Foley or whatever tax and spend issue….like Duh.
Captain James McCann should be James McMann. My old buddy from high school.
Not true hr. rents are increasing over 20 percent. Mine is going up over 230 a month along with many other tenants. The rents are now above senior citizens social security checks. For the second time this year tenants in Bloomfield are getting over 200 dollar a month increases. There lucky if its a 125 a month increase. Thats over 2700 extra dollars a year. Im barely making over minimum wage at 8 dollars an hour and havn’t received a raise in 3 years. The mayor Norton in 1994 created a disaster by ending rent control
Tenants need to remember this when they vote in November. The present regime does not support tenants rights at all. Vote for candidates that do.
Show your muscle in the election booth!