July 25, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5 Ho-Ho-Kus Borough to use trust fund to identify rental options by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus officials have opted to use the money in the borough’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to facilitate appropriately-priced rental options for individuals and families with low and moderate incomes. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Attorney David Bole explained that the borough has effectively committed its Affordable Housing Trust Fund to identifying possible affordable rental properties. At a recent council meeting, the governing body approved several related resolutions, including one that authorized a contract between the borough and the United Way of Bergen County/Madeline Corporation, a non-profit corporation, to help the municipality provide affordable housing opportunities. As of Dec. 31, 2011, the borough had $169,224 in its Affordable Housing Trust Fund. In order to meet the state’s July 17 deadline for committing municipal trust funds to affordable housing projects, Ho-Ho-Kus resolved to allocate $150,000 for a market to affordable program and an additional $12,000 for administrative expenses. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli said the borough’s limited funds prevent Ho-Ho-Kus from pursuing the purchase or refurbishment of existing buildings or new construction that could be used for affordable housing. He also pointed to the lack of available land on which a development might be built. The borough council has requested that the Council on Affordable Housing provide an administrative review of the borough’s spending plan, and an official approval of that plan. The related resolution notes that the borough’s proposed emergent affordable housing opportunity for a market to affordable program addresses COAH’s criteria set forth in N.J.A.C. 5:97-6.9. On July 13, just four days before New Jersey’s municipalities were required to commit their affordable housing funds, an appeals court panel ruled that the state could seize uncommitted money from the local trust funds, but not without adequate notice to allow municipalities to contest the transfer. Lawyers for the New Jersey League of Municipalities and the Fair Share Housing Center had asked the panel of judges to stop the seizures. According to law, the trust fund money, which is contributed by developers who work on projects in the state’s various municipalities, had to be committed within four years. An estimated $200,000,000 has been set aside statewide. The Ho-Ho-Kus COAH Committee that studied the borough’s options for trust fund allocation included Borough Clerk Laura Borchers, Borough Attorney Bole, Councilman Phil Rorty, Planning Board Chairman/Borough Historian John Hanlon, and Ruthanne Frank, the executive assistant to the borough administrator. Mayor Thomas Randall and Borough Administrator Cirulli served as ex officio members of the committee. Clarke, Caton, Hintz, a Trenton-based architectural firm that is noted as an expert in the field of COAH planning, is the borough’s advisor in this matter. Mary Beth Lonergan is that firm’s representative for Ho-Ho-Kus.