Senator presses acting AOC director on contested fair‑share process after COAH abolition

Senator Sarlo pressed Michael Blee about the judiciary’s role in post‑COAH fair‑share housing dispute resolution and about a directive from the Administrative Office of the Courts that requires municipalities to participate in settlement conferences.

Blee said he did not participate in drafting the prior directive and described the current compliance process: 564 municipalities exist in the state; 449 filed declaratory judgment actions under the new statute; 290 accepted the Department of Community Affairs’ prospective need calculations and 159 filed to deviate. He said 59 contested cases were heard in the 30‑day statutory period and that roughly 113 of those matters settled, a settlement rate he put at about 70 percent.

The nut graf: Committee members representing rural municipalities told the director the process and the AOC directive have pressured towns with limited infrastructure and legal resources to negotiate settlements. Blee said the program is shortly before a key deadline and that he would monitor and consider refinements, including whether he has authority to extend deadlines.

Senators described towns in rural counties that face what they called impractical housing obligations and questioned the impartiality of using organizations such as the Fair Share Housing Center to review municipal plans, given the Center’s frequent role as an active litigant in disputes. Blee said he would consider reviewing the directive to see if improvements could be made and that he planned to meet with the chief judge responsible for the program to review implementation.

Ending: Blee said he would take requests under consideration and would monitor the program’s infancy while working with the chief judge to identify potential improvements ahead of the next compliance phase.