Town Hall is preparing to crack down on illegal apartments in single family homes and in multi-family dwellings that aren’t being used the way they were intended.
Officials said last week they don’t know how many homes fall into these categories, but they say it’s a problem.
“Illegal occupancies put a tremendous strain on municipal services, [such as] the school system, and parking,” said Secaucus Building Code Official Vincent Prieto at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting.
The council has introduced two ordinances that will require residential and commercial properties to be inspected for illegal units when the properties are put up for sale.
“This will actually help us curtail how homes are used,” Prieto said. “We’ll be looking to see if there are two dwellings where there should only be one, or three where there should be two. It would be a great thing for us to be able to get a hold on the proper use of the structures.”
Mayor Michael Gonnelli agreed.
“Illegal occupancies put a tremendous strain on municipal services.” – Vincent Prieto
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Gonnelli, who is also chief of the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department, acknowledged that this move could be controversial. Many homeowners, in Secaucus and elsewhere, rely on income from tenants to help pay their mortgages.
Commercial properties that are up for sale will also be inspected to ensure their occupancy conforms to local zoning laws.
Town Administrator David Drumeler said he expects the town to generate about $60,000 in fees as a result of the new inspection requirements.
There will be a public hearing on both of these ordinances on Tuesday, May 25.
Hand scanners in two weeks
Councilman Robert Constantino announced Tuesday that hand scanner devices to track the working hours of town personnel should soon be in place and operational.
They should be “implemented within the next couple weeks,” he said. “This is a time management system that allows information to go right into the computer. So that should increase some productivity” throughout the municipal government, since managers will no longer need to sign off on paper timesheets.
Constantino chairs the Council’s Finance Subcommittee that recommended switching from paper timesheets to hand scanners. The move is part of a package of human resource management services the town received from its new payroll company, Paychex.
Although they are highly accurate, there can still be some errors and glitches with biometric technology like hand scanners. But there are many benefits as well. Workers, especially hourly employees and those who get paid for overtime, can typically be paid faster than under traditional time management systems since paper timesheets no longer need to pass through a supervisor for a signature.
The move will affect about 300 municipal employees.
Party at the Rec Center
In the council’s ongoing effort to bring in more money at the Secaucus Recreation Center, John Bueckner said Tuesday that the facility’s pool or basketball court can now be rented for parties and other social functions.
“Everybody knows the Rec Center has big financial problems,” he said. “So, what we’re trying to do is introduce some programs into the Rec Center that will get people down there, not only to avail themselves of those activities, but we’ll be able to derive some income from that. Plus, at the same time, the Rec Center will get [more] exposure.”
This exposure, he added, might persuade more people to join.
The rental fee is $200 for a two-hour party, according to Recreation Director John Voli.
The council is also weighing whether to allow golf clinics and martial arts classes to be held at the center, again, for a fee. Like the party concept, these classes would be open to people who are not members of the Rec Center.
While such plans may generate more income for the troubled facility, it’s not clear how members would respond to these proposals.
Petition delivered for ex-firefighters
During the public comments portion of the meeting, Fire Lt. Bob Morrison gave Councilman and Fire Department liaison Jim Clancy a petition which he said included the signatures of more than 500 residents who want former volunteer firefighters Charles F. Snyder, Charles T. Snyder, and Charles Mutschler reinstated to the Volunteer Fire Department. The three men were implicated in a alleged bias incident against a gay couple in 2004, but were never criminally charged. They resigned from the fire department rather than face an administrative hearing after the couple won a lawsuit against the town.
Harmon Cove Towers residents angry
Several angry residents of Harmon Cove Towers who spoke at the meeting said their units have been subjected to poor renovations that have allegedly led to flooding, mold, and cracks between walls, among other problems. They further maintained that their condo association fees, which have reached as high as $1,000 to $1,200, have been mishandled by the condo board.
For further coverage, please see The Reporter Lnext week.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.