There is hereby established the position of Municipal Housing Liaison
for the Borough of Buena. The Mayor shall appoint the Municipal Housing
Liaison, with the advice and consent of the Borough Council, to serve
upon appointment by the Mayor and approval by resolution of the Council
and subsequently for a term of one-year commencing on January 1 of
each and until the appointment and qualification of his successor.
In the event the Mayor shall not appoint the Municipal Housing Liaison
or the Council shall fail to confirm such appointment within 30 days
next succeeding January 1 of each year, the Council shall make such
appointment at the expiration of the thirty-day period.
The Municipal Housing Liaison shall be responsible for oversight
and administration of the affordable housing program for the Borough
of Buena, including the following responsibilities, which may not
be contracted out:
Serving as the primary point of contact in the Borough of Buena for
all inquires from the state, affordable housing providers, administration
agents, and interested households.
Attending continuing education opportunities on affordability controls,
compliance monitoring, and affirmative marketing as offered or approved
by COAH.
Subject to approval by COAH, the Borough of Buena may contract with
or authorize a consultant, authority, government or any agency charged
by the Borough Council, which entity shall have the responsibility
of administrating the affordable housing program of the Borough of
Buena. If the Borough of Buena contracts with another entity to administer
all or any part of the affordable housing program, including the affordability
controls and affirmative marketing plan, the Municipal Housing Liaison
shall supervise the contracting administrative agent.
Conducting an outreach process to insure affirmative marketing
of affordable housing units in accordance with the affirmative marketing
plan of Buena Borough and the provisions of N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.15; and
Providing counseling or contracting to provide counseling services
to low- and moderate-income applicants on subjects such as budgeting,
credit issues, mortgage qualifications, rental lease requirements,
and landlord/tenant law.
Conducting interviews and obtaining sufficient documentation
of gross income and assets upon which to base a determination of income
eligibility for a low- or moderate-income unit;
Requiring that all certified applicants for restricted units
execute a certificate substantially in the form, as applicable and
eligible applicant households with members working in the housing
region where the units are located;
Creating and maintaining a referral list of eligible applicant
households living in the housing region and eligible applicant households
with members working in the housing region where the units are located;
and
Employing the random selection process as provided in the affirmative
marketing plan of the Borough of Buena when referring households for
certification to affordable units.
Furnishing to attorneys or closing agents forms of deed restrictions
and mortgages for recording at the time of conveyance of title of
each restricted unit;
Creating and maintaining a file on each restricted unit for
its control period, including the recorded deed with restrictions,
recorded mortgage and note, as appropriate;
Ensuring that the removal of the deed restrictions and cancellations
of the mortgage note are effectuated and properly filed with the appropriate
county's Register of Deeds or County Clerk's office after the termination
of the affordability controls for each restricted unit;
Reviewing and approving requests from owners of restricted units
who wish to take out home equity loans or refinance during the term
of their ownership;
Reviewing and approving requests to increase sales prices from
owners of restricted units who wish to make capital improvements to
the units that would affect the selling price, such authorizations
to be limited to those improvements resulting in additional bedrooms
or bathrooms and the cost of central air-conditioning systems; and
Securing annually lists of all affordable housing units for
which tax bills are mailed to absentee owners, and notifying all such
owners that they must either move back to their unit or see it;
Securing from all developers and sponsors of restricted units,
at the earliest point of contact in the processing of the project
or development, written acknowledgment of the requirement that no
restricted unit can be offered, or in any other way committed, to
any person other than a household duly certified to the unit by the
administrative agent;
The posting annually in all rental properties, including two-family
homes, of a notice as to the maximum permitted rent, together with
the telephone number of the administrative agent where complaints
of excess rent can be made;
Sending annual mailings to all owners of affordable dwelling
units, reminding them of the notices and requirements outlined in
N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.18(d)4;
Establishing a program for diverting unlawful rent payments
to the municipality's affordable housing trust fund or other appropriate
municipal fund approved by the DCA;