Essex Commits $400K to Four Affordable Townhomes, Presses on Tenant Selection

Essex County commissioners on Sept. 2, 2026, sent $400,000 in federal housing money to build four affordable rental townhomes in Orange. The unanimous vote came only after the meeting's sharpest questioning, about who will actually get to live in them. The administration also announced it plans to pull county workers out of the State Health Benefits Plan, a shift that could reshape benefit costs for years.

• $400,000 in HOME funds goes to Sierra House for four low-income rental townhomes; the board wants written tenant-selection criteria.

• County plans to exit the State Health Benefits Plan on Jan. 1, 2027, projecting it will cut a roughly 20% increase in half.

• $10M in state gas-tax aid will repave six county roads in 2027, a 10% jump over 2026.

• $5M medical examiner bridge deal follows Hudson and Passaic counties' exit to join Bergen.

• Residents raise repeat crashes on South Orange Avenue and allege skipped employee suspension hearings.

Four Townhomes, Hard Questions on Who Gets Them

Where things stand: The board reprogrammed $400,000 in HOME funds from the county's one-year action plan to Sierra House, a nonprofit based in East Orange, to build four affordable townhomes. Housing Coordinator Andre Narvaez of the Division of Housing and Community Development called the money gap financing. He said it would be combined with dollars from the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), other federal funds and municipal tax-credit assistance, and that county review found the amount sufficient.

The basics: HOME is a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program that funds affordable housing. Gap financing covers the last shortfall in a project's funding package.

Why it matters: Board Vice President A'Dorian Murray-Thomas placed the units against New Jersey's affordability crisis and asked about future funding. "Can we expect more resources like this to come to the county as far as housing and affordability that you might share some light on?" she asked. Narvaez pointed to the county's traditional HOME and HOME-ARP applications and added, "I can also personally say that I did go to Washington to advocate for more funding for programs like this."

The other side: Commissioner Wayne L. Richardson focused on who gets the keys. "Now, is there some type of a lottery or something? How would the people pick who will benefit from these 4 townhomes being built?" he asked.

Development Director Jeff Schechner of Sierra House said the group serves homeless women and draws from a large client pool. He deferred specifics to a program officer but said tenants are chosen "based upon a number of factors such as income, how long they've been waiting, their ability to be able to pay into the system, a lot of other factors."

Narvaez added that tenants "have to qualify based off of their income, and as well as the rents that they're charged has to be a certain amount, and it has to follow HUD protocol." Rents are monitored annually. He said developers can also draw from the Continuum of Care's statewide homeless database, which lists people in the order they were classified as homeless or at risk.

Richardson pressed on the tension between serving the poorest residents and requiring rent payments. "If you're destitute, there's no way you can pay those bills. And so are these rental units or any of them for sale?" he asked. Narvaez answered, "They're rental units for this project."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The resolution passed (For: 7, Against: 0, Absent: 2, Commissioners Tyshammie L. Cooper and Romaine Sermons). Richardson moved it and Commissioner Robert Mercado seconded. Sierra House gains a key piece of its financing, and Orange gains four income-restricted rentals. The open question is how the units' rent requirements will fit the very low-income women Sierra House serves.

What's next: "What may be helpful, Mr. Jackson, if you can assist us with just a narrative on the criteria for this," said Board President Carlos M. Pomares. The written criteria will be shared with commissioners through the Deputy Clerk. No date was set.

County Plans to Leave State Health Plan

Where things stand: No vote was taken. Mr. Jackson of county administration recounted that the county left Aetna private insurance for the State Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) in 2017. It saw savings for about four years before recent increases became, in his word, "unconscionable."

"And as of January 1st, 2027, we hope to be out of the state health benefit plan to go moving to a partially self-insured plan," Jackson said.

Why it matters: "If we were to stay in state health benefits, our benefits on a weighted average basis would have gone up 20% or something like that, but 17% alone for our actives and higher percentages for our retirees," Jackson said. He said the move cuts that increase roughly in half. That matters to taxpayers and to employees, who pay 20% of costs. He predicted 20% to 25% hikes for employers that remain in the SHBP.

The basics: Under the new model, Horizon will administer claims that the county itself pays. Specific and aggregate stop-loss insurance will cap the county's exposure to catastrophic claims.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Jackson said plans, copays, networks and formularies stay the same, though a new pharmacy provider will be used. Retirees over 65 keep Aetna. "So that's no change for 98% of our active employees," he said; most will simply get a new card.

Labor appears on board.

"We had a very encouraging collaborative meeting this morning with our union friends, who I think embraced the move, I would say, enthusiastically," Jackson said.

The trade-off is that the county takes on more direct claims risk, cushioned by stop-loss coverage.

What's next: Pomares welcomed the unions' receptivity and said related items will come before the board on future agendas.

$10M in Gas-Tax Aid Repaves Six Roads

Where things stand: In one vote on Resolutions 3–6, the board adopted the 2027 Annual Transportation Program and inserted the matching revenue. The program uses $10,026,084 from the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund to resurface six county roads over 16.5 miles, a 10% increase over 2026. Staff later cited 6.5 miles in an answer to the board.

The vote also extended Colonial Energy's natural gas supply to county buildings for two years. The price is set at the NYMEX index plus a fixed winter upcharge; the contract's dollar amount was not clearly stated. A change order raises BlackRock Enterprises' 2025 resurfacing contract from $9,316,927 to $9,816,929. David Antonio of the Department of Public Works called it "an increase of $500,000, which is 5.4%," covering added quantities and traffic control.

Why it matters: Murray-Thomas asked how municipalities are selected. Antonio clarified that the money is not passed through to towns. "Those road sections are chosen based on our knowledge of the existing road conditions. And the program is funded with the gas tax," he said. He cited Lakeside, Pleasant Valley Way from Verona to West Orange, and Northfield Avenue as examples.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The resolutions passed (For: 7, Against: 0, Absent: 2, Cooper and Sermons). Murray-Thomas moved them and Mercado seconded. Drivers on the selected corridors benefit, and paving contractors see steady work.

What's next: Asked how residents can learn how roads are prioritized, Antonio said "anybody that's interested in knowing how we do this should call us."

Medical Examiner Pact Splinters, Union Steps In

Where things stand: Added-starter Resolution 48 ends the four-county North Jersey medical examiner arrangement with Essex, Somerset, Hudson and Passaic as of July 31, 2026. "Our friends in Hudson and Passaic have decided to leave that group and join with Bergen County," Jackson said. A one-year, $5,012,024 agreement begins Aug. 1, 2026, while Essex, Somerset and incoming Union County negotiate a new pact.

Why it matters: Murray-Thomas asked why the others left. Jackson said "they got a better deal joining with Bergen." When a participant recalled costs near $1.5 million, Jackson said costs have run in the $4 million to $5 million range and have risen "precipitously so since COVID." The state medical examiner's draft budget points to another increase. "We'll see an increase, but we don't think it'll be dramatic," he said.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The resolution passed (For: 7, Against: 0, Absent: 2, Cooper and Sermons), moved by Commissioner Leonard M. Luciano and seconded by Murray-Thomas. Death-investigation services continue without interruption. Bargaining leverage now rests with a smaller three-county group.

What's next: Essex, Somerset and Union will negotiate a successor agreement during the bridge year.

Residents Bring Crashes and Discipline Concerns

Dr. Tanya Mason Eastman, a public commenter, described three crashes onto her South Orange property over a decade. The most recent came April 19, when a car overturned into her walkway on South Orange Avenue between Conway and Ridgewood, and she has since relocated her disabled mother. She thanked the county for signal work and signs but said drivers still speed. She requested a follow-up site review, flashing lights at Conway and "stylish large cement barriers." "I do not want to move and I don't want anyone else to be hurt," she said. Pomares asked her to leave her contact information so the request could go to engineering and the Office of Emergency Management.

Nadira Brown, a county employee speaking as a public commenter, cited N.J.S.A. 40:41A-87(b). She said the law requires a public hearing 15 to 30 days after written notice of suspension or dismissal, and that "some departments are not following this procedure," stalling appeals. She asked that non-union employees get a seat at the next round of bargaining. There was no response on the record.

Tanya Veltz, founder of Treehouse ENT Cultural Arts Movement, reported that the group's 11th annual Monte Irvin Orange Park event drew 3,000 to 4,000 people and gave away more than 1,000 produce boxes. Richardson asked staff to help the group get on the county's grant list.

• State grants: Resolutions 15–20 insert about $2M, including $719,729 for jail addiction treatment and $68,400 for World Cup policing in Millburn and Montclair.

• Audit: The board approved a corrective action plan and accepted the 2025 audit. A reviewer flagged a forfeiture fund issue as the one new finding.

• Contracts: Approvals include Direct Waste parks hauling up to $746,948.36, $100,000 for charter transportation and a no-cost Rutgers psychiatric nursing affiliation.

• Ordinances: A county soccer field will be named for the late Albert Coutinho, and a health unit will report to the county executive. A third ordinance, O-2026-00011, passed without discussion; all three passed 7-0.

• Fresh produce: A $73,980 refrigerated van will bring reduced-price produce to county parks, focusing on families in the WIC and SNAP nutrition programs.

Looking ahead: The county's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration is Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. The Essex Remembers ceremony at the Eagle Rock 9/11 Memorial, at 8 a.m., marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Senior Wellness Day is Sept. 21. Watch for the administration's written tenant-selection criteria and the health-plan items promised for future agendas.