BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer
Homes that are being too heavily occupied have officials considering adding to Sayreville’s code enforcement office.
Borough code enforcement and zoning officers can use a hand dealing with the issue of overcrowded homes, officials said.
Councilman John Melillo relayed the recommendation of the zoning and construction department that a part-time clerical employee position be added back into the budget during the Borough Council’s April 17 meeting. The suggestion is being reviewed by the council’s Administration and Finance Committee.
Melillo, who said the Planning and Zoning Committee discussed the construction department budget with borough Chief Financial Officer Wayne Kronowski and Business Administrator Jeff Bertrand, suggested the council add a clerical employee in that department. He said the committee as a whole feels the addition is necessary for the betterment of the department and the borough.
“The additional clerical employee would free up workers from paperwork and allow them to find more violations around town,” Melillo said.
The borough is already expected to include an additional code enforcement position in the new budget.
Melillo said inspections of vacant properties need to be conducted to determine whether they are up to code, in order to protect property values, prevent unsanitary conditions and to help prevent overcrowding in schools due to high-occupancy homes.
“Just how widespread the problem is, is hard to tell, which is why we need to get the construction official out in the field,” he said.
Melillo said the borough needs to look closely at the problem of multiple families living in a single-family home. He estimated as an example that a three-bedroom dwelling with 12 people living there could be a violation.
Councilman Stanley Drwal addressed his concerns with high-occupancy homes and voiced support for the department’s request.
Drwal said that many borough rental units are in houses that were converted illegally from single-family homes into apartments. These apartments are often run down, according to Drwal, who added that the buildings cause sanitation problems in their neighborhoods. He said that because the structures are run down, they are purchased cheaply and pay a relatively low amount of taxes.
Bertrand agreed that the addition of a clerical employee would enable the code enforcement officer to be out in the field more.
“The initial suggestion was in the original budget for 2006,” Bertrand told the Suburban, “but it had been pulled from the table. The Planning and Zoning Committee are saying that it should not be pulled.”
Bertrand said the position was pulled prior to the budget presentation for 2006. He added that he sees a need for this position in order to improve the quality of life for residents.
“The council wants to take a proactive position on quality-of-life issues, particularly in regard to property maintenance and the zoning ordinance. The ordinance is only as effective as it is enforced.”
Bertrand said the department needs more than the one zoning officer and one code enforcement officer who are currently employed to find violations. The suggestion to add another code enforcement officer is in the budget, starting July 1, but the clerical position is not in there.
“The part-time clerical position would bolster our efforts,” Bertrand said.
Councilman Rory Zach, who is on the Administration and Finance Committee, said that committee will discuss the merits and cost of the additional employee, adding that he believes it might be a viable action if the additional position could be self-supporting. This would require that the collection of fines amount to enough to fund the position.
Zach anticipated further discussion on the matter at the Administration and Finance Committee meeting last night. He said that it might also be discussed at the council’s next agenda meeting, which is scheduled for Monday.