Weehawken has approved contracts with union and non-union township employees as well as local police officers. Mayor Richard Turner and City Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance ratifying the contracts at its Dec. 7 meeting.
According to Turner, the average contract increase is between three and three and a half percent for the four contracts with employees who are members of the Local chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
For non-union employees, Turner said it was a four-year catch-up. This was because the township had not given any raises to non-union employees for four years. He said that for these employees, the increases would be the same percentages.
The council also passed an ordinance ratifying the police contracts. Turner said the percentage increases for police department officers were “the same as everyone received.”
Ban Airbnb in Weehawken?
At the December 7 meeting, council also introduced an ordinance dealing with short-term rentals in the township. Turner said he was “dealing with Airbnb,” a vacation rental company, but did not elaborate on the order.
Weehawken, a waterfront community on the Hudson River with stunning views of New York City, is a hotspot for short-term or vacation rentals. As of December 19, there were plenty of listings for short-term rentals on Airbnb, ranging from $92 to $375 and beyond.
Short-term rentals are currently permitted if rental hosts maintain a license. This permit must be renewed annually for a small fee, and the host can then advertise on services like Airbnb and Booking.com.
After that December 7 meeting, Turner told the Hudson Reporter that the ordinance would ban short-term rentals of less than 30 consecutive days, but the township was considering allowing them again with strict regulations at a later date. According to Turner, the township has issues with short-term rentals that rob affordable housing of long-term use in rent-controlled buildings.
In addition to taking affordable housing off the market, Turner argued that short-term rentals make residents uncomfortable in the apartment buildings where they happen. Although located in densely populated Hudson County, the township is still mostly suburban in nature, prompting complaints from residents about the comings and goings of strangers, he said.
Another reason behind the proposed ban on short-term rentals is crime. He said sometimes people come up with these short-term rentals and find their property and even furniture is missing.
According to Turner, this ban would not affect family hosts as much as investors seeking to profit from short-term rentals. He said most short-term rentals in Weehawken are owned by absentee landlords who often don’t live in the township.
Penalties for each violation of the order started at $1,000 for the first time, $1,500 for the second time and $2,000 for the third time, with the possibility of 90 days in jail. Turner said it was intended to discourage the practice due to significant loss of revenue, with the fine being equivalent to what he said was revenue from bookings for two short-term rentals.
Turner said the township is comfortable with the ban, now doing so in the winter to prepare for what is usually a Weehawken rush in the spring. However, the township will consider other policies of neighboring municipalities, such as Jersey City which has passed strict regulations on short-term rentals in the past, to see if Weehawken would benefit.
Turner and the township council will next meet Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. at City Hall at 400 Park Avenue. For more information, visit weehawken-nj.us.
For updates on this story and others, visit www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].
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