The Hammonton Gazette 092513 | Page 4

Town government following COAH progress closely Wednesday, September 25, 2013 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3 COAH, from?Page 1 overruled by the Supreme Court, but the legal battle is ongoing. Hammonton’s COaH responsibilities are uncertain at this time, as they have to have a certain amount of units reserved for low-andmoderate income households and provide real housing opportunities to those that qualify. “We don’t have that responsibil- ity right now, because COaH is still being fought through the courts. there is a certain platform that we have to reach, but since it is going through the courts right now, we don’t know what that is. We are still waiting to hear back from COaH and it is going backand-forth through the courts. We really don’t know what our quota CONVERT TO GAS CUT YOUR UTILITY BILL IN HALF! Interest Free Financing, Rebates & Tax Credits Available Call Keith Galletta (609) 561-1616 ENERGY CONSERVATION is right now. i don’t know when that is going to be decided,” COaH administrator and town accountant frank zuber said. according to zuber, the town has two agreements with the state and its funds were obligated. the first agreement was with the atlantic County improvement authority (aCia), and was signed on June 30, 2012. the town gave the aCia $63,007.53 for projects and expenses. the other agreement was for $100,000, and was agreed to on May 28, 2012. “We also signed another agreement with a memorandum for the understanding of New Jersey Housing and Mortgage finance agency, and we gave this to them on May 28. the agreement was for $100,000 for the purpose of funding ranch-style homes and other residences for low-income housing. Both of those agreements were signed back in 2012, and that is when this decision came down. So, we had a court representative come to a town hall meeting and we signed these agreements and transferred the money back in 2012,” zuber said. according to zuber, because of these two agreements, the balance in the town’s COaH account is $803.75. On May 22 of this year, the town responded to COaH after the New Jersey Supreme Court decision was made. DiMeglio Septic, NJSL6077 • NJ HIC License #13VH01292800 Est. 1975 ~ DEP 03261 ~ Paul DiMeglio Inc. 1 (800) 427-4617 ~ 561-1007 ~ 561-3597 491 S. White Horse Pike • Ancora, NJ • Grease?Trap Cleaning • Portable Toilets • Septic Certifications • Jetting Service “We got two different letters. i actually responded to the first letter that was sent on May 22. We responded to the original COaH letter that was sent out. We fulfilled our obligations to add that money before that decision came down in court. it is still in litigation, so they haven’t really come to a final decision. they are still going back-and-forth as we speak on this decision,” zuber said. there is ongoing litigation when it pertains to the Council on affordable Housing and Department of Community affairs subject, while there is no timetable for a settlement. it has been a battle for quite some time. “at the moment it is still COaH, and the governor tried to abolish it. the courts came back and said ‘you can’t do that,’ but this is all still in limbo and in the courts,” zuber said. there is affordable housing in the Plymouth Place section, right off of Main road, according to zuber. zuber stated that the town has followed all the rules that are being imposed by COaH and the state, and are keeping abreast of what is going on with the legal battle in the courts. “the town has conformed to all the rules that are coming down from COaH and the state that were on top of all the litigation that is going on currently. We have performed our duties to what the state said we should do,” he said. the Department of Community affairs Office of Communications and Policy in trenton couldn’t be reached for comment for this story. September 16 drowning death being investigated DROWNING, from?Page 1 County Medical examiner’s findings will be available in “a few weeks” and the findings will either result in a conclusive finding of the manner of death, or it will be ruled “inconclusive.” Carley’s body was found floating facedown on September 16 in the lake by one of the lakefront residents, according to Hammonton Police Captain Nick Salvatore. Local police contacted the atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, which sent its Major Crimes Unit and the atlantic County Medical examiner’s Office to the scene to begin an investigation into Carley’s death. FISHMAN & FISHMAN, LLC Attorneys at Law - Serving All Your Personal Injury Needs HAVE YOU BEEN INJURED AT WORK? 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