City Council Recap: Rent Control Ordinance Almost Finished; Lawyer Hired, and More

A quick recap of what you missed at Wednesday night’s council meeting:

• Hoboken officially announced that February is Black History Month. Council President Beth Mason presented a proclamation to City Hall employee Lutricia Alexander and Hoboken High teacher Edward Barfield.
• Three important topics that were on the agenda originally were moved back to subcommittee or tabled to another meeting by Mason, as soon as the meeting started. Among the topics that will be discussed at a later date were the changes in and pay-to-play laws.
• City Council approved a resolution allocating $20,000 to perform a field in an inter local agreement with the Hoboken Housing Authority. The field will be revitalized. The funds are coming out of the (yet to be proposed) 2011 budget. The budget is expected to be introduced at the end of the month. 
• Even though the ordinance about rent control was moved off the agenda, the city awarded a $50,000 contract to Victor Afanador to be the city’s rent control counsel.
• Hoboken City Council was supposed to approve the minutes of the closed sessions from April and May, 2010. When it became apparent that many council members had not read the minutes (provided to them as part as their documentation before the meeting), the resolution was tabled.
• Hoboken resident, and meeting frequenter, Perry Belfiore pointed out to the council that the snow on Willow Avenue had not been cleaned yet. 
• After the meeting City Council went into closed session to settle a personnel related law suit.

The next meeting will take place on Wednesday Feb. 17.