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Passaic council asks city attorney to draft clearer rules for rent‑leveling board appointments
Summary
Council members reviewed two applicants for the newly formed rent‑leveling board, debated whether homeowners may serve as the ‘expert’ member and asked city legal staff to draft clearer definitions and residency language before making appointments.
Council members on the Passaic City Council discussed appointments and membership requirements for the city’s rent‑leveling board at their Dec. 5 meeting and directed city legal staff to draft clarifying language for the board’s composition.
The council reviewed two resumes submitted for the board: “Arthur g So to of 181 Polisson,” recommended by Councilman Love as a landlord member; and Jorge Palacios, recommended by Councilwoman Mello as a tenant member. A third applicant was deemed ineligible because they did not meet the landlord or tenant criteria in the ordinance.
The dispute centered on how to interpret the ordinance’s unspecified category called “expert.” Councilwoman Montanez said other municipalities accept homeowners as neutral or expert members and suggested allowing a homeowner to serve as an alternate if no clearly qualified expert is available. Jonathan (staff member) said the ordinance contains no statutory definition of “expert,” and noted that no state law mandates board composition.
Council members asked the city’s law firm and staff to propose specific language defining “expert” (for example, a real estate professional with specified experience) and to advise whether residency in Passaic should be required for board members. Council President Schaer and others signaled support for returning with revised verbiage at the next council meeting so the city could proceed with appointments.
Council members and staff emphasized that the board is intended to be case‑by‑case, hearing disputes between individual landlords and tenants rather than setting citywide rent policy. Jonathan (staff member) said the rent‑leveling board’s attorney would help ensure decisions comply with applicable law and that any unresolved disputes could still be adjudicated in tenant‑landlord court.
Next steps: the council asked the law firm and city staff to draft proposed definitions and residency criteria and to circulate the memorandum to council members ahead of the next meeting. The council continues to accept resumes while awaiting that guidance.
