MANCHESTER – Judy Noonan, the liaison to Senior Services in the township and the mayor’s confidential aide took to the microphone during the public comment period of a recent council meeting to talk about the concerns of those who are part of senior communities.
Noonan pointed out that Manchester is made up of many senior communities in two large sections of the municipality. She noted the high cost of electricity that all residents are facing and a 20% increase by Jersey Central Power & Light and a petition calling for financial relief.
“I had about 2,500 signatures on that and I sent that to the president of the United States and I got an answer acknowledging our issues. He (President Donald Trump) got a copy of all the signatures and a letter about the issues so it shows when you do put your mind to something, people do pay attention,” she said.
“This is a serious problem and I hope we get the rate for the power because I work with the mayor and I get these calls on a daily basis, they can’t pay this and they need help,” she said. “We thought there would be a discount in June but now it seems we will have to pay the full price. There was a perception that they would push it off to November but now people are putting their air-conditioning down as they have to make a choice between that and spending money for food.”
Noonan brought up a letter sent by a resident on August 4 from one of the senior communities that concerned the Reserve Act and paying your dues. A “Reserve Act” in the context of Homeowners Associations (HOAs) refers to the reserve funds or reserve accounts that HOAs maintain to cover future major repairs and replacements of common property. These funds act as a financial cushion to avoid unexpected special assessments or loans when those major expenses arise.
HOA reserve funds are essentially savings accounts that HOAs maintain to cover the cost of future major repairs and replacements of common areas and amenities.
Such funds are separate from the HOA’s operating budget, which covers day-to-day expenses like landscaping, utilities, and maintenance. Examples of items that might be covered by reserve funds include roof replacement, driveway resurfacing, swimming pool repairs, and painting of common buildings.
“People are really having a hard time paying and no one seems to be paying attention to this and I don’t know what the council can possibly do,” she said.
“One of our issues is about LLCs,” Noonan remarked. An LLC is a Limited Liability Company, a business structure that combines the benefits of a partnership and a corporation, offering liability protection for its owners while being taxed as a pass-through entity.
This means owners (members) are not personally liable for business debts and can choose to have profits taxed as personal income, avoiding double taxation.
Noonan referenced a prior problem of those under the age of a 55+ community “buying homes and a lot of them are LLCs who are looking for renters. That pushes seniors to become renters and that isn’t good because the people can’t afford the rent. There is a lot more going on and there will be a price to pay for some of these associations.”
She also noted that solicitors are going door to door in senior communities. Some of them are claiming they are from the state to do their solar panels.
“People think that the associations can take care of themselves because they have private roads but sometimes that is not true and they feel isolated. There are some major issues going on in these associations and they are going to the town now,” Noonan added.
She noted that the township can’t always step in “because we are not allowed. I am fighting to have a voice with the DCA (Department of Community Affairs) in Trenton because I don’t feel our associations are being represented enough in Trenton.”
Resident Linda Chapman added to Noonan’s comments saying, “a lot of working people have two jobs and we have a governor (Governor Phil Murphy) who as far as I am concerned doesn’t care about the residents of New Jersey that are struggling every day with high taxes, electric, food and it is getting scary.”
