Residents press council on repeated heat and hot-water failures; administration and code say repairs underway

Residents from multiple neighborhoods used the council public-comment period to press elected officials for quicker and firmer action on recurring heating, hot-water and building-condition problems.

Why it matters: several speakers said tenants, seniors and disabled residents faced repeated outages this winter and at least one resident said she and her family had to use a rooming house to shower when their unit had been without hot water for several days. Council members and administrators discussed short-term remedies and long-running structural issues in the city's aging housing stock.

Key public comments: One resident who identified herself as living in Venice Park described frequent sewage and piping trouble on her block and said she had been without hot water "from Tuesday and Friday without hot water" and "we had to go out in the freeze front and go and shower at a rooming house." Another resident described persistent problems dating back before the change in property ownership and urged enforcement and management accountability.

Administration response: Director Finch and other staff said the city has been responding with repeated inspections and enforcement actions. Finch said the new owner of the Venice Park property bought the complex "site unseen" and underestimated the repair scope; the administration said the new owner has since replaced boilers, upgraded lighting, repaired roofs and is performing gut rehabs of empty apartments. Finch said code enforcement has inspected multiple units and is staying on top of complaints.

Council follow-up and requests: Council members asked the administration for a report on properties that received tax abatements or pilot agreements (so-called "pilot" projects) and capital-improvement obligations tied to those abatements; one council member requested a report for the February meeting listing abated properties and compliance with capital improvement promises. Other council members urged better coordination among code enforcement, legal and housing departments and asked that staff track outstanding repairs until completion.

Background: Council members and staff emphasized that Atlantic City's housing stock is older than many municipalities and that infrastructure replacement (piping, boilers, lead pipes) is an issue across many urban areas. Staff said federal and state funding sources have tightened, which complicates large-scale upgrades and public-housing capital improvements.

What happens next: Council asked administration and department heads to continue same-day responses when possible, expand communication with complaining residents and provide a follow-up report to the council at the February meeting on abated properties and capital-improvement compliance.