Municipal court to deal with complaints
By: Katie Wagner
The Princeton Township Committee adopted an ordinance this week that will allow it to issue summonses through the municipal court to violators of the township’s affordable housing program rules and regulations.
Residents occupying any units included in the township’s affordable housing program pay rents or make mortgage payments that do not exceed a certain percentage of the income of those living in the dwellings. The income requirements for renting or buying an affordable housing unit in the state vary among municipalities.
Previously, enforcing violations, such as the failure of a homeowner or tenant to use an affordable housing unit as his or her principal residence, neglect of paying homeowner association or mortgage payments and borrowing more money than allowed by the township and state for financing a home, required a more expensive and time-consuming process.
If a violation had been committed, the township would file a complaint with the state Superior Court, then forward the complaint to the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office. Next, the sheriff’s office would issue the summons and serve the complaint to the person being sued. The alleged violator would then be expected to appear before a state Superior Court judge.
Under the new ordinance, which was adopted Monday, the municipal court judge will hear defendants in the Princeton Township’s court in Township Hall.
"We felt we should be able to file a summons against them and bring them to the township municipal court as opposed to the state court," said Township Attorney Edwin Schmierer. "The ordinance allows us a more affordable and local enforcement technique."
Mr. Schmierer said very few people in the township have violated program guidelines and that there have been no outstanding violations committed.
Nonetheless, the township does have tenants and homeowners of affordable housing units who violate their deed restrictions, said Christy Peacock, the township’s affordable housing coordinator.
The township has always had affordable housing rules and regulations, but the ordinance makes them as close to being law as they can be at the municipal level, Ms. Peacock said.
"There were always consequences and if there were illegal activities, we enforced the township’s rules. This gives us a way to do it that’s more powerful and succinct. It also puts it on public notice on a much broader sense, Ms. Peacock added.
The township’s affordable housing program predates the New Jersey Fair Housing Act of 1985, which assigned municipalities requirements for the numbers of affordable housing units they must have available. The township’s program has existed since November 1984.

