[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6679413,"mediaKeyId","2172612-d45a860eb05014d839601ff5a84298de","parentId",2172612,"title","Passaic City Coalition briefs council on youth substance-use prevention efforts","audioSeconds",253,"startMs",1645000,"endMs",1898000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172612-d45a860eb05014d839601ff5a84298de&start=1645&end=1898","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172612-d45a860eb05014d839601ff5a84298de/thumbnail_1645000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6679413/Passaic-City/Passaic-County/New-Jersey/Passaic-City-Coalition-briefs-council-on-youth-substance-use-prevention-efforts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6679413-68220852ffceb84316e4017aae26f185/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197381&Signature=ok3R0x0aKuphQ9Pv9zAImww3uVsa4BIh~20KNzmg69Hv9tkDu8AWkGkFTZdM14zlIfZgjbI2AU1~D8jMvfWRohjMdqR3nNLGK8u8aVGQCev-ZDSvASXfbngTQsRmIULrDeQLX~0hLqUEx5~mJjqMujS8KEZUx8wc0GD~WG5vm1JpAnW3Cg8EO4LaHlB6xgdol77TRswup47DyYCzlZtDsQsYX4oJo-b1gLyinmFR9QUWXbP1WNYkJwrQ0X7jFjTae7J37dT5wUjj6uLxMoVv2fFUKBZyV1ORq6qyBR-z0IGabD~yTYDtlH1XCQpkNtWNwYxb64gSqj7FcVuqbzbsuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Passaic","date","2025-01-01T05:42:22.913Z","article","Vanessa Pasa, program coordinator for the Passaic City Coalition, used the council’s public-comment period on Dec. 6 to summarize the coalition’s substance-use prevention work aimed at youth in Passaic.

Pasa told the council the coalition has worked with the mayor’s office since 2019 to establish a youth council and to run prevention and education programs. She said youth-council members have logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours on community service and events, and the coalition has trained more than 50 employees at local bars and restaurants in responsible alcohol service.

Pasa described partnerships with the Board of Education and non-profit groups to bring bilingual vaping-prevention curricula into schools, to train parents and school staff on cannabis and vaping risks, and to coordinate suicide-prevention education. She said the coalition has trained more than 200 parents on cannabis and vaping education and worked with local programs to provide resources to youth.

Citing enforcement activity, Pasa said Passaic’s FDA underage-sales inspection violation rate rose after the pandemic and fell following increased enforcement: she reported a rise to 55% in 2022 from under 15% historically, then a drop to 28% after enforcement actions began in 2023. Pasa provided council members a packet summarizing local data and recommended strategies used successfully in other communities.

Ending: Pasa offered to meet with council members and staff for further discussion; council members thanked her for the briefing. No formal council action was taken during the public-comment period.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Passaic Council Meeting - December 17th, 2024","oneSentenceSummary","At the Dec. 6 meeting, Passaic City Coalition program coordinator Vanessa Pasa described the group's prevention programs, partnerships with city departments and schools, training of staff and parents, and enforcement-related results tied to underage sales inspections.","taxTitle","Passaic City, Passaic County, New Jersey","taxId",12672,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6679418,"Passaic council approves design and inspection work for Benson/Howard Avenue drainage and tennis-court improvements",62,1490000,1552000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172612-d45a860eb05014d839601ff5a84298de&start=1490&end=1552","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172612-d45a860eb05014d839601ff5a84298de/thumbnail_1490000.jpg","/articles/6679418/Passaic-City/Passaic-County/New-Jersey/Passaic-council-approves-design-and-inspection-work-for-BensonHoward-Avenue-drainage-and-tennis-court-improvements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6679418-281c1a6dd1c949d314b51a1b74a36604/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197381&Signature=SxTuq-VOOs9dUFb6RoG6D1HYaA1zndL0hSYqqUCw0iMD~1PoWjfGua9i9ESIGEu14d~fFlUSrQyNf2oBv0R0vj63lM1nnGTPfrc~vddkuIObq~689lT5tAR6-62NFuhK1ht-gBY5d8zezAi2KL9kKF4uuU8QBBromL1uFcsGC9hvg9Kr5WkwTSv8VjzcTddH-SXUadbOEmYnwDtTskKACSggvv8kximrW98RKQ4C7NOf7RJn0~4dz2j3rDfxM5eVYZJa8WHYJwWaVgAyTHKDOPomIFi9XWzf3v80-SqocqEdW11NO6TaEpVWZenOvkTCkc4mY8utjOjTKob9SFuv7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Passaic City Council on Dec. 6 approved a package of routine resolutions that included contracting for design and construction inspection services for drainage improvements at the Howard Avenue tennis courts and the Benson Avenue area, projects the city said are part of a multi-phase effort to reduce recurring flooding.

City staff described the work as a continuation of prior hazard-mitigation and park improvements. The mayor and other officials told the council the project would fund design and construction oversight for drainage features beneath the railroad trestle, improvements near Pennington and Main Avenues, and additional measures to protect the tennis courts and adjacent parking.

Staff said earlier phases reduced ponding in the parking lot and that the current contract would fund the next phase of hydraulic analysis, detailed design and construction inspection; future phases could include rerouting the road and adding green infrastructure to increase stormwater absorption. The mayor said the work is coordinated with FEMA and Greenacres and that the city hopes to obtain additional funding for further phases.

The resolution for the design and construction-inspection contract was included in the consent block of items 18–43a and passed on the council’s roll-call vote approving consent matters. Councilmembers recorded “yes” votes on the consent block; no councilmember voted against or abstained in the recorded roll call.

Ending: Staff said the design work would precede later construction phases and that engineers will provide hydraulic calculations to guide any road-shifting or green-space additions. The council did not set construction dates at the meeting but indicated further updates would come as additional funding is secured.

","Council members approved routine resolutions that include funding and design/inspection work for a drainage project at the Howard Avenue tennis courts and Benson Avenue area intended to reduce chronic flooding; staff said the work is part of a larger, multi-phase hazard-mitigation effort coordinated with FEMA and county partners.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6679421,"Passaic council introduces rent-stabilization ordinance for first reading, schedules Jan. 7 vote",2758,6386000,9144000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172612-d45a860eb05014d839601ff5a84298de&start=6386&end=9144","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172612-d45a860eb05014d839601ff5a84298de/thumbnail_6386000.jpg","/articles/6679421/Passaic-City/Passaic-County/New-Jersey/Passaic-council-introduces-rent-stabilization-ordinance-for-first-reading-schedules-Jan-7-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6679421-5cadc93a148a71c0fce5414f4ebfeeea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771197381&Signature=Y6M7dEtSE7eWY~l5vTX8YoYlVYzS0Prvfkln28a6~Yao02L8I3pvbs3hGqaOIunOjEJjXKU2aoOEdyhOp6mCI9jKEd-iJIs4vcOl9uXJlTyJNU94SJE~ApVScCrqR7fJKzXGTHF5filV13HtHiMrl3y9BW-EJeucCBhKTGdg2IQY~tE1IqXHNSAiL9SCsUk8vrJ~~9OlbAjpqLEfEneskddsO4~xeyo-rvMm0F8nl6OwIBHTReHd~zCoabAckLf1TulOp9jJO9-6am9H2~AKzknuvsgStax~xDmZ5SUWua3o0foYwKdJ-3VareaNulJEBXYX1cRi2~yzZ74VsegbHw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Passaic City Council on Dec. 6 introduced Ordinance 44, a rent-stabilization measure that would limit certain rent increases and create a process for tenant-landlord disputes, voting unanimously to carry the ordinance to a second reading on Jan. 7, 2025.

City leaders said the ordinance aims to balance protections for long-term renters with mechanisms that allow property owners to seek higher rents when justified. Mayor Hector Laura told council members the proposal was a “pragmatic and responsible approach” intended to protect residents while leaving options for landlords who can justify higher rents.

Under provisions explained to the council during the meeting, the proposed ordinance would:
- Apply to existing rental units (new construction would be exempt under state law for the life of the mortgage),
- Include a six-year sunset so the council must revisit the ordinance after that period,
- Allow annual increases within a capped percentage (the ordinance text discussed an annual cap used for planning and comparison), and
- Provide specific pathways for landlords to seek larger increases when a unit rents well below HUD regional low-income rent levels (staff cited the Passaic–Bergen–Sussex HUD rent table and noted the example low-income two-bedroom threshold of 14.58 on that chart), and for hardship or capital-improvement requests to be reviewed by the rent-leveling process.

Rent-leveling attorney Christopher Rodriguez explained administrative details during the meeting, saying the ordinance’s low-market provision permits a property owner renting substantially below HUD regional low limits to apply for staged increases (staff described a 20% step-up mechanism in those circumstances). Rodriguez also described how existing city code sections tied to pre-1999 protections would remain in effect for tenants covered by that code, while units not covered would fall under the new ordinance.

Council members debated the measure at length. Supporters, including the mayor and several councilmembers, said the city is receiving daily complaints from residents whose rents doubled or rose sharply after the pandemic and that the ordinance provides an expedited local forum and clearer standards for resolving disputes. Opponents voiced concern that any rent-limiting measure could reduce investment or lead to larger numbers of tax appeals by property owners, which in turn could shift the municipal property-tax burden to homeowners.

Councilman Schwartz urged caution about unintended consequences for development and tax appeals, and asked for more time; other councilmembers and the mayor countered that staff and outside advisers had vetted the proposal and that the ordinance includes exemptions (notably for new construction) and a limited duration.

Councilman Love moved to introduce the ordinance for first reading; Councilman Mello seconded. A roll-call vote recorded unanimous support (Councilmembers Munk, Love, Mello, Schwartz, Garcia, Colombo Tanez and Council President Schaer recorded “yes”), advancing Ordinance 44 to a Jan. 7, 2025 public hearing and second reading.

The council also discussed how the rent-leveling board would operate, including the board’s composition (a landlord representative, a tenant representative and an “expert” slot). Several council members and staff debated whether to explicitly add a homeowner category in the ordinance amendment; staff noted some municipalities permit homeowners on comparable boards and that the ordinance as drafted leaves certain qualifications (for example, “expert” definitions) to council discretion.

Discussion at the meeting emphasized that decisions of a local rent-leveling board could be appealed to court, and that the board’s role is to evaluate individual cases (for example, whether a capital improvement justifies a higher rent). The council’s rent-leveling attorney said the board’s recommendations and decisions would be governed by the ordinance and existing law and that affected parties retain the right to seek relief in landlord–tenant court.

Ending: The council’s vote advanced the ordinance to a second reading and public hearing on Jan. 7, 2025. Council members and staff said they expect additional public comment and technical questions between meetings; council records show the mayor and administration will provide additional materials to members to address concerns raised during the debate.

","The Passaic City Council voted unanimously on Dec. 6 to introduce for first reading an ordinance that would establish a six-year rent stabilization regime, create or clarify a rent-leveling board, and set limits and exceptions for rent increases; second reading is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Passaic City Coalition briefs council on youth substance-use prevention efforts

Passaic council approves design and inspection work for Benson/Howard Avenue drainage and tennis-court improvements

Passaic council introduces rent-stabilization ordinance for first reading, schedules Jan. 7 vote