Dear Editor:
I am happy to report that the residents of the Marineview Plaza apartments may finally have relief from a poorly devised scheme to sub-meter utilities at the buildings. Last week, the NJ Board of Public Utilities took legal steps to halt the PILOT sub-metering program at both Marineview and Union Plaza Apartments in Union City.
By way of background, last year, over the vocal objections of tenants at Marineview, the landlord instituted sub-metering, whereby tenants are charged for electric utilities. Previously these expenses were part of the regular rent. In exchange, the tenants receive a rebate that is supposed to be commensurate or better than the added cost of the utilities. While the purported purpose of the program is to “conserve energy”, tenants suspected this program was intended to eliminate the largest line item in the landlord’s operating budget and would result in an increase in the cost of living for most tenants.
As it turned out, the tenants at Marineview were right. Within months, tenants began receiving utility bills as high as $500 monthly. Many of these tenants are seniors living on fixed income and cannot afford such high bills. Other tenants received monthly bills as low at $30, causing many to believe that the program should be suspended until these billing discrepancies are resolved. Last week, the BPU took this extraordinary step, filing legal papers to suspend the sub-metering program at Marineview and Union Plaza.
I would like to thank several individuals that have brought us this far. First, State Senator Brian P. Stack and Assemblyman Ruben Ramos should be commended for their tireless work on behalf of the tenants. Senator Stack has been at the forefront in advocating for the rights of the tenants at Union Plaza through a legal challenge to the sub-metering program in Union City, and by regularly working with the tenants at Marineview as well. Assemblyman Ramos has spent many hours in meetings and advocating to state officials on behalf of the tenants. City Councilwoman Theresa Castellano also should be commended for her advocacy efforts with state officials at the NJHMFA, and for her judicious work in collecting the hundreds of utility bills that ultimately exposed the injustice of the sub-metering program. Darcy Martinez, the Chairperson of the Marineview Plaza Tenants Association should be recognized for her countless hours of community organizing with tenants and meetings with officials. The City of Hoboken should also be thanked for agreeing last week to file an amicus brief with the BPU in support of the Marineview tenants’ efforts. Last but not least, the tenants at Marineview should be commended for staying united on this issue and taking a stand against this injustice – your efforts are finally starting to bear fruit.
While our work is not yet done, this is a major step in the right direction. If we continue to work together, it is my hope that sub-metering at Marineview and Union Plaza will be a thing of the past.
Sincerely,
Ravi S. Bhalla