Borough to Oppose Toll Hikes, Council Debates Rent Leveling

The public portion of the Fort Lee Mayor and Council’s executive session Thursday was dominated by a lengthy debate on rent leveling, but prior to that discussion, which Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich described as just the beginning of a “meaningful dialog,” the borough’s governing body discussed several other topics of interest, including opposing the Port Authority’s proposed toll hikes on the George Washington Bridge and other Hudson River crossings.

The latter didn’t take much discussion, although it was an item listed on the agenda for “general discussion.”

“We oppose,” said one council member, as other members of the governing body nodded or otherwise expressed agreement with opposing the proposed measure.

The Mayor and Council will have a resolution on next Thursday’s regular meeting agenda opposing the potential toll hikes announced by the Port Authority late last week, although that meeting takes place after a public hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16, at the George Washington Bridge Administration Building at 220 Bruce Reynolds Blvd. in Fort Lee.

Other business Thursday

The Mayor and Council also discussed their support and intended participation in a U.S. Senate measure to establish a nationwide September 11 “moment of rememberance.”

“Sen. (Frank) Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is at the forefront of an initiative to create a nationwide September 11 moment of remembrance,” Sokolich said. “And I think it’s very appropriate considering we have our memorial coming up.”

Ten U.S. senators last week introduced a resolution calling for a moment of silence on the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. The resolution—introduced by Lautenberg and co-sponsored by seven other Democrats, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)—calls for a one-minute moment of silence starting at 1 p.m. eastern on Sept. 11, and also calls on all Americans “to cease all work or other activities.”

Best practices checklist

Borough administrator Peggy Thomas told the Mayor and Council that the borough “did very well,” achieving 48 out of 50 points on the state’s “best practices checklist,” clearing the way for Fort Lee to receive the final roughly 5 percent of its state aid.

“The last portion of state aid, in order to actually get it, we need to prepare and complete a checklist confirming with Trenton that we’ve undertaken certain initiatives,” Sokolich explained. “I think it’s a good practice. So we’ve certified it.”

He said the borough should now get the final roughly $40,000 to $50,000 it is due from the state.

Rent Leveling

The Mayor and Council concluded the meeting with what turned out to be a long and at times heated debate on the issue of rent control.

The item was added to the public agenda at the behest of Charles Sobel, a longtime rent control advocate for tenants.

“Charlie Sobel for some time has been asking us to take actions regarding amendments to our rent leveling ordinance,” Sokolich said. “I wanted to at least start to engage in a meaningful dialogue—pros and cons—from both the perspective of the tenant and the perspective of the landlord, especially in light of the current economic conditions. I can tell you, I—for one—have not made up my mind on this, so I’m encouraging the debate.”

Sobel, who was joined by Matt Shapiro, another rent control advocate, articulated what he would like to see changed in the borough’s rent control ordinance, saying there were “two points.”

“One, a 5 percent annual rent increase in the face of the last 10 to 15 years of less than 2 percent CPI seems a little ridiculous,” Sobel said. “Plus it’s driving a lot of people out of town. I’m seeing a constant flow through my building, and I ask why. They can’t afford the 5 percent.”

Sobel’s second point of contention is with regard to what he called the borough’s “dual formula.”

“MAP [Maximum Allowable Percentage] for seniors and 5 percent for everyone else,” Sobel said. “This has been questioned in the courts, and the courts don’t seem to like the dual system. I understand we have investigated in [borough attorney Lee Cohen’s] office and come up with language that would protect us in our ordinance if we were ever tested … If the dual system is thrown out, the ordinance would revert to the MAP for everyone.”

After about a 45-minute back-and-forth on the issue, during which Councilmen Joseph Cervieri and Armand Pohan, among others, weighed in, and Sokolich played the role of mediator, posing questions from both perspectives, the matter remained far from resolved. But Sokolich said he would push for closure.

“I have some questions on my mind that I’d like to get answered; I’m going to form a committee on it,” Sokolich told Sobel and Shapiro, going on to appoint Pohan and Cervieri to his impromptu committee.

“We’re going to meet with the landlord[s]; we’re going to keep you in the loop also, and I’d like to bring closure to this issue hopefully at the next meeting,” Sokolich said.

You can find Fort Lee’s rent control ordinance on it’s “borough code” page, which can be found at the bottom of the homepage of the borough’s website or by clicking here. Chapter 324 is rent leveling.

The Mayor and Council next meet on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 8 p.m. in Borough Hall’s council chambers for their monthly regular meeting.