After two months of listening to resident complaints, the Union City Housing Authority passed an amended pet policy Wednesday that even the biggest pet lovers can agree with.
"We don’t want to punish people who are responsible pet owners," said Housing Authority Commissioner Christopher Irizarry. "This is just to help maintain some control for the safety of our residents."
The policy that was adopted last week only holds current tenants responsible for registering their pets with the Housing Authority and making sure that their pets are licensed with the city and have all of the proper vaccinations. The UCHA has scrapped the idea of making residents pay a deposit for their pets.
The original pet policy passed by the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners in April included a registration fee, security deposits and a mandatory insurance policy. The new policy includes no fees.
"There are no monetary ties," said Irizarry, explaining that most of the complaints they heard from residents were about the costs involved with the policy.
These fees included a $300 security deposit for any dog or cat and a $25 deposit for a fish tank or bird, as well as a $25 application fee for the pet permit. There was also a $25 application fee for any residents with a cat or dog to file a Certificate of Insurance with the Authority certifying that the applicant has renter’s insurance with liability and property damage coverage in the amount of $10,000.
However, residents with pets are still responsible for the full cost of repair or replacement of any material damaged by their pet.
The policy also calls for a grievance committee, which will consist of residents, the Housing Authority’s attorney and Housing Authority personnel. This committee shall hold hearings and distribute fines for pet infractions. The penalties can include the removal of a pet.
According to the policy, a hearing will be scheduled after receiving two or more complaints from residents against the pet owner for not complying with the pet policy rules.
Being grandfathered
The limitations to size and number of pets set forth in the original policy adopted in April were not taken out of the new policy, but they will only apply to new tenants. Thus, residents already living in public housing can keep the pets they already have.
New tenants moving into public housing in Union City will be limited to one domesticated dog, cat or bird per unit. Allowable pets are limited to domesticated short haired dogs not exceeding 20 pounds, domesticated cats not exceeding 13 pounds, fish in a 20-gallon tank, and domesticated, caged birds. The policy says that no other living creature can be allowed, including gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, ferrets and other common household pets.