By Anne Levin

At its meeting Monday night, Princeton Council voted to introduce an ordinance that would eliminate the Affordable Housing Board, Human Services Commission, and Civil Rights Commission, streamlining them into one entity called the Community Services Advisory Committee.

A second ordinance would dispense with the Sewer Committee, moving sewer-related issues into the Infrastructure and Operations Committee.

While public comment is not permitted at an ordinance introduction and must wait until the official public hearing (January 22 for these two proposals), some members of the existing boards and commissions have expressed their concerns about the first ordinance in letters to the editor and an email to Council.

In a memo to Council explaining the reason for the proposals, Jeff Grosser, the town’s deputy administrator of health and community services, called the first ordinance “a catalyst for change in the Princeton community, promoting affordable housing, accessible human services, and the protection of civil rights as essential pillars of a just and inclusive society. With a broader, more dynamic framework, this consolidated committee will analyze the material conditions and relational components upholding complex systems of inequity in Princeton to improve the quality and depth of services for all residents.”

Grosser wrote that the current configuration represents “an outdated paradigm, where boards, commissions, and committees are siloed and compartmentalized within narrow focuses that attempt to address complex, multifaceted problems without taking into consideration the broader range of influences and variables which underpin them.”

Having 29 members presents a significant challenge in recruitment, coordination, and demands on municipal staff,  he said. The new configuration would consist of seven regular and two alternate members.

Also at the meeting, Council passed a resolution formally authorizing an agreement with Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton for “behavioral health and community services,” representing a new arrangement for the addiction and mental health treatment service known as Corner House. Councilman David Cohen questioned why the $48,968.09 budget is so much lower than in the past.

Grosser replied that under the new arrangement, state and federal funding that was unavailable under the previous scenario can now be pursued. Councilwoman Eve Niedergang commented, “The level of service will be so much higher, but we are spending less money. It’s going to be such an upgrade, so thank you, Jeff. It will leave us and the community in really good shape.”

Councilman Leighton Newlin added, “The bigger conversation is that with Corner House, we took a look at what services we were delivering and figured out we could do it better. I invite everyone to take a look at the services, not just substance abuse but an array of services. Some  really transformative attention [is given] to those who need services the most.”

Council President Mia Sacks thanked Maria Juega, who serves on the Affordable Housing Board, for bringing the situation with Corner House to the municipality’s attention. Without mentioning it by name, Sacks also referred to the proposed ordinance to streamline the boards, committees, and commissions.

“We have real problems in our town related to racial equity, and it is a provision of services for people to survive and continue to exist in our town,” she said. “It is not productive for us to do the same thing we’ve been doing for decades. We are not moving the needle. We may not be where we want to end up, but I hope you understand that the Council shares your commitment to those communities. Working together with you, I hope we will end up in the right place, and I’ll leave it at that.”

At its official reorganization meeting on January 2, Council voted to keep Sacks as president for another term, and officially swore in David Cohen and Leticia Fraga for another term. Niedergang announced that she will not run for reelection when her term on Council ends in the fall.

The next Council meeting is Monday, January 22 at 7 p.m., in person at Witherspoon Hall and via Zoom. Visit princetonnj.gov for the link.