City attorney disqualifies rent control petitions
Signatures submitted to the city on Dec. 11 that would require changes to rent control to be put on a ballot for a public vote were ruled invalid because each sheet did not display the names of the committee people.
The Bayonne Tenants Organization is disputing changes to the Rent Control Ordinance passed by the City Council in November that would gradually abolish rent control in apartments as current tenants moved out.
While the group collected more than enough signatures required, the city attorney ruled that the sheets failed to meet the law in making it clear who the people were who were seeking the signatures, thus disqualifying the effort.
The tenants organization has 10 days to correct the matter by recollecting the signatures, but the group said it intends to take the matter to court instead.
The tenants’ group was served notice on Dec. 16, said City Clerk Robert Sloan.
Parking Authority abolished
The Bayonne City Council voted at the Dec. 14 meeting to abolish the Bayonne Parking Authority and put its operations under the Department of Public Safety, saving the city as much as $400,000 in expenses – but without eliminating any of the 22 people employed by the PA. Many of the PA workers will be used to fill gaps in crossing guard jobs and other duties, city officials said.
Four hearings to be held on extending Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Englewood or Tenafly
The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail train currently runs from Bayonne through Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, and Union City, as well as into North Bergen. But it doesn’t continue to Bergen County like it was expected to.
Yet, plans are about to move forward.
The federal government has finally released an environmental impact statement about extending the route from 85th Street in North Bergen for eight miles to Englewood or Tenafly. The route would travel through Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, and Leonia, over old CSX tracks.
New Jersey Transit has scheduled four public hearings on the environmental statement, which will be presented formally at each of the hearings.
The hearings will be held Jan. 24 and Jan.26 at 3 and 7 p.m. on both days. They will be held in Tenafly on Jan. 24 and Englewood on Jan. 26.
The statement and information is available at http://northernbranchcorridor.com/docs.html.