By Tim Fox, Staff Writer
Suburban Trends
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The borough has received word from the state that it will likely be reimbursed for the future housing costs of 23 residents displaced from their homes from the danger of sinkholes.
Last month the Borough Council introduced its 2007 municipal budget with the inclusion of about $200,000 to pay for five housing units to accommodate the residents. Although it's unlikely Ringwood will be reimbursed for that money, Borough Manager Ken Hetrick told the
council Tuesday it could expect reimbursement for future such housing costs. "I was informed this week that most likely the state will fund some of the housing costs of the residents, but they're not going to reimburse us for any of the expenses we've incurred so far," said Hetrick. "When the leases of the houses expire, they will most likely pick up the cgsts going forward"
The borough, however, has yet to receive a "permanent commitment" from the state, said Hetrick.
The 23 residents were forced to leave their homes along Van Dunk Lane after they were declared unsafe to live in last November. The homes were built above old mining shafts, and the earth eventually became unstable around their foundations, displacing the residents. Prior to moving into their temporary homes, the residents were provided trailers to live in by the borough. Some remained in the trailers parked near Van Dunk Lane for more than a month while the borough searched for nearby rentals.
The $200,000 cost has been a point of debate at recent council meetings. After first learning about the exorbitant expense of relocating the residents, Hetrick had intended to subsidize it with the Small Cities Grant the council received from the State Department of Communiity Affairs (DCA) to pay for specific Upper Ringwood expenses. Hetrick was notified in late December, though, that the borough would be unable to
use the grant for those expenses. The council was then forced to incorporate the housing costs into the 2007 municipal budget.
Some, however, believe the cost should not be absorbed by taxpayers and could have been picked up by the state had the proper paperwork been completed.
Councilwoman Wenke Taule said that many of the displaced residents were not told about the state Homeless Prevention Program or given the corresponding paper- work the organization requested from the borough. The HPP, part of the DCNs Division of Housing which financially assists needy homeowners, may have picked up some of the housing costs, according to Taule.
She said that if Hetrick had fully investigated the issue, the borough might have avoided paying a portion of the $200,000. Taule also requested that Hetrick create a report revealing his communications with the state on the issue.
"As part of your job as borough manager, you should have been negotiating with the state because now we find out that the state has made compromises and is willing to pay the rent in the area," said Taule. "If the residents had been given the documents and filled them out, conceivably the state would have picked up the rent in February."
Taule expressed her concern for the disenfranchised residents, whom she feels have been unfairly blamed for the cost of their relocation.
"I believe there was a communication- breakdown and things could have happened in a more timely fashion," she said. "What I don't like about it is that it enabled the residents of Ringwood to blame the people that had to move out of their homes, because the taxpayers are paying for it when in fact the state had been trying to help."
Hetrick contends that HPP would not pay any more than $1,300 per month, which doesn't cover the cost of adequate housing in the immediate area. Hetrick also admitted that although he discussed the issue with the residents, he did not send the forms to all of them.
"When we go back to late December, the concern of the council was that we did not want to see the residents move to urban areas, and they were not eager to go there. And we knew that we
could not find housing in this area for $1,300 a month," said Hetrick. "That's the reason the forms were not completed"
Hetrick also pointed out that the state was less willing to reimburse the town than Taule implied.
"They weren't looking to help the town financially," said Hetrick. "They were more concerned for the safety of the residents who were displaced. When they learned we were doing the best we could to house the people, they were comfortable with that... Their concern was the safety of the residents, not the taxpayers of Ringwood"