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Jackson council adopts Division of Rental Housing Safety after residents press for details
Summary
Jackson Township adopted ordinance 202538 to create a Division of Rental Housing Safety that will employ inspectors to enforce safety and occupancy standards. Council members said positions will be township employees (likely unclassified), funded by landlord registration fees; a training period and salary ranges will be set before hiring.
The Jackson Township Council voted unanimously Oct. 16 to adopt ordinance 202538, creating a Division of Rental Housing Safety to inspect rental units for safety and occupancy violations and to coordinate with code enforcement and the municipal court.
Council President Morty Bernstein, who led the public hearing, described the change as “a major step forward” and said the positions will be advertised as township employees. “It's going to be new, it's going to be township employees,” Bernstein said, adding that the division will work with code enforcement and the court system to route safety complaints to the proper offices.
The ordinance establishes four classifications (including a division head and inspectors) but does not require all positions to be filled at once; Bernstein said staffing will be based on need and that the council expects to introduce a salary ordinance by the next meeting. Township Attorney McGucken told residents the positions appear to be unclassified (not in civil service).
Residents used the public comment period to press for specific protections and operational details. Sheldon Hoffstein asked whether the four positions would be in civil service, whether employees would receive benefits, and how long trainees would remain in training; Bernstein responded that training is expected to last 12 months and that benefits would be the same as other township employees. “These are all four positions. It does not mean that all four positions need to be filled,” Bernstein said when describing the planned staffing approach.
Officials said the program’s start-up and ongoing costs are expected to be paid from landlord registration and inspection fees included in earlier ordinance language; Bernstein and administration staff said the town will not raise general taxes to fund the new unit. The council also said it will meet with code enforcement and the township attorney in the coming weeks to finalize operational details and the salary ordinance prior to hiring.
The council voted to adopt the ordinance after a brief public discussion. Bernstein said the division will focus on safety issues such as illegal bedroom conversions, use of nonplumbed containers for sanitation, fire hazards and overcrowding, and pledged that notices and guidance for renters and landlords would be circulated ahead of inspections.
The adoption follows council comments earlier in the meeting highlighting other grant awards and town priorities; Bernstein said the first inspections are planned to begin after salary ranges and hiring are finalized.
The measure takes effect following the normal adoption process and any required implementation steps; the council said it hopes to begin hiring and training in the months that follow once the salary ordinance is adopted.
