ROBBINSVILLE — Residents of Robbinsville expressed their frustrations and concerns with the township’s new rent ordinance before the council passed the ordinance.

Several dozen residents came for that ordinance and the township’s budget and some expressed concerns over potential rent increases, more utility payments and real estate tax payments that could come from the ordinance.

Township Attorney Mark Roselli said the ordinance came about from negotiations with the park owner, Larry Kaufman after he filed a lawsuit in 2009 over the township’s previous rent control ordinance. He said the township’s previous ordinance would not have held up in court and would have likely been struck down.

“I believe these are reasonable accommodations that would pass judicial muster and I know the existing ordinance would not,” he said.

He said the new terms, aside from rent increases, would not affect residents with a current lease, but new residents or residents who sign a new lease, could have to pay the new charges.

Residents of the park said they were concerned about how their leases would be affected by the new ordinance. Betty Sutch, the president of the homeowners’ association for the park, said the residents did not want to open themselves up to negative repercussions.

“The people in this park are afraid, we have been hurt so many times and we are afraid of what he is going to pull on us,” she said.

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