Morristown council talks revaluations, seniors housing and MHS lacrosse

Councilman David Silva defends the Morristown Housing Authority, June 12, 2022. Screenshot by Kevin Coughlin
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Come September, Morristown homeowners can expect a knock on the door from town inspectors.

A long-overdue town-wide tax revaluation starts this summer with inspections of commercial properties, with residences to follow in the fall, town Administrator Jillian Barrick told the council this week.

An information session is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 7 pm in town hall. For those leery of infection by new COVID-19 variants, the meeting will be recorded and re-posted online, Barrick said, with more updates to come.

The council’s authorization of the $500,000 revaluation came on a busy night that included the governing body’s defense of its cannabis license award to a Massachusetts business.

Additionally, there was animated back-and-forth over handling of renovations to seniors apartments, a project unfolding under a complex privatization of the Morristown Housing Authority.

The council disclosed that MHA Chairperson Maureen Denman has quit. No reason was given. Morristown Green has reached out to Denman and will update this story accordingly.

Bill Byrne, an advocate for persons with disabilities, also reiterated concerns about the proliferation of electric scooters and bicycles jeopardizing pedestrians on downtown sidewalks.

Council President Stefan Armington cited a recent ordinance prohibiting bikes and motorized vehicles on walkways in the business district. “Enforcement is a challenge,” he conceded.

On a lighter note, Mayor Tim Dougherty honored members of the championship Morristown High School girls lacrosse team with a proclamation and certificates for their state sectional title.

“I’m very proud of what they were able to accomplish. Great coach, great kids,” Dougherty said. Star-Ledger Coach of the Year Allie Ferrara, a 2015 star at MHS, helped hand out the certificates at Tuesday’s hybrid meeting.

Coach Allie Ferrara receives proclamation from Mayor Tim Dougherty on behalf of Morristown High 2022 championship girls lacrosse team, July 12, 2022. Screenshot by Kevin Coughlin
REVALUATIONS

Morristown’s last revaluation was circa 2007, and Morris County has pressed for a new one, according to Armington.

Barrick said the town is “rebalancing the value of all of our properties” to make sure they are fairly assessed. Property tax bills are based on these assessments.

“We do ask for compliance from all of our homeowners as we do this process, because everyone is better off if we know what exactly is in your home and we don’t have to make assumptions, the administrator said.

“Our inspectors will take all COVID precautions. They will wear masks, they will have ID cards on them as well…we will start initially with commercial inspections over the next couple of months and then the residential inspections will start in earnest in September,” Barrick said.

HOUSING AUTHORITY

Councilman David Silva, liaison to the Morristown Housing Authority, defended the performance of the MHA after acknowledging he had been unaware of renovation issues raised by fellow Councilman Robert Iannaccone.

Responding to residents’ complaints, Iannaccone recently toured the Ann Street seniors apartments, which are being renovated as part of a massive program to upgrade all of Morristown’s public housing.

Iannaccone was dismayed by construction conditions inside the building, and by poor communications that left seniors in the dark about their temporary relocation to area hotels.

Silva and the mayor described glitches as inevitable in projects of this magnitude–“speed bumps,” the mayor called them–but they said the issues were resolved swiftly.

Seniors have loved the hotels, Dougherty said. “They felt like they were on vacation!”

Silva defended his liaison oversight, and implored the council to back MHA Executive Director Keith Kinard.

“I never paint a rosy picture. I’m a positive person, the MHA is doing a good job under Mr. Kinard,” Silva said. “We are lucky to have Mr. Kinard in our town. We need to support him, even when there are issues, so we can keep him and move forward.”

Kinard formerly ran housing authorities in Newark and Pittsburgh, and was hired in 2018 after a period of intense turbulence at the MHA. His late predecessor had invoked whistle-blower protections to seek a federal probe of alleged favoritism in housing subsidies and travel junkets by commissioners.

Last year, Kinard advocated successfully for a privatization arrangement enabling the MHA to leverage millions for renovations of public housing built as far back as the 1960s. And he took a second job, as executive director of Summit’s housing authority.

Silva also commended Denman, appointed by the council in 2017 after several MHA commissioners resigned from their unpaid positions. She vowed to bring more transparency and responsiveness to public housing residents.

Maureen Denman, chairperson of the Morristown Housing Authority, and MHA Executive Director Keith Kinard, at Speedwell park groundbreaking, April 9, 2021. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

As chairperson, her direct style wasn’t always embraced; the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development rebuked her for being too involved in MHA daily operations. The mayor and other supporters came to Denman’s defense.

“Maureen, whether you like her or dislike her, she did a very good job,” Silva said. Denman’s term was set to expire in September.

While expressing pleasure that seniors’ concerns are being addressed, Iannaccone emphasized the need for better communication. When he toured Ann Street, he said, the walls still were posted with notices from 2016.

IN OTHER BUSINESS

The mayor extended condolences to Police Chief Darnell Richardson on the passing of his brother.

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1 COMMENT

  1. “…e know what exactly is in your home.” They go INSIDE your house?
    What happens if you demand a warrant?

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