Mahwah April 18, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 9 Council eyes trust fund’s fate by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council is concerned about the possibility of losing the township’s affordable housing trust fund money which comes from fees paid by developers to offset the cost of providing affordable housing in Mahwah. The township council recently passed a resolution in support of two pieces of pending legislation in the state legislature that address the use of affordable housing trust fund monies. That resolution states that the township takes its affordable housing obligation seriously and has collected development fees as required by law. Those fees are on deposit in a trust fund. The resolution also points out that the township has made expenditures from this fund to purchase affordable housing units at sheriff’s sales to prevent the extinguishment of the affordability controls on those units, and has filed litigation that so far has successfully prevented the attempted premature termination of affordability controls by the owner of a 75-unit rental property. In addition, the township is investigating other opportunities to prevent the termination of affordability controls on newly constructed affordable housing units in Mahwah. The legislation the township supports has been introduced in the New Jersey Assembly by Assemblyman Anthony M Bucco (R-25 Morris/Somerset) and State Senator Raymond J Lesniak (D-20 Union). This bill would extend the time period in which a municipality must commit to expend collected development fees and payments in-lieu-of constructing affordable housing units that are held in a municipal trust fund from four years after the date of collection to eight years. Currently, monies in a municipal trust fund that are not spent with a four-year period from collection must be transferred to the New Jersey Affordable Housing Trust Fund to be used in the region of the municipality for other autho- rized purposes of the fund. The proposed bill would authorize the commitment by municipalities of affordable housing trust funds to a revolving fund to be held by the municipality in order to fund litigation costs and the purchase for resale or rental of affordable housing units that are the subject of foreclosure or other litigation on the termination of the affordability controls. The urgency the Mahwah Council experienced about (continued on page 15) Cut for a cause Gabriella Napolitano of Mahwah recently donated twelve inches of her hair to Locks of Love. Her family is very proud of her. Locks of Love uses donated hair to create wigs and hairpieces for children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions and treatments.