For over 35 years, the Summit Housing Authority has provided housing to low and moderate income families in well maintained and attractive properties.
The mission of the Housing Authority of the City of Summit is to provide safe, affordable and decent housing to low and moderate income families and seniors. All funding for the Summit Housing Authority comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The taxpayers of Summit do not fund public housing through municipal taxes.
The Summit Affordable Housing Corporation (SAHC) is a non-profit organization affiliated with the Summit Housing Authority, whose mission is to identify emerging housing and community development resources and to develop affordable housing in the City of Summit.
The Community Services Department is responsible for engineering, public works and code administration. Each of these functional areas is led by a division head, with all three divisions working together to provide a single point of contact for property and land development issues. Located on the second floor of City Hall, the department's staff assists residents, property owners, businesses and the general public obtain answers to property use and infrastructure questions.
Beth Kinney is the department director. Gary Lewis heads code administration, Andrew Hipolit is in charge of engineering and Paul Cascais manages public works.
The tax assessor is responsible for determining the value of all real estate in the city. These assessments are updated on a regular basis in what is known as a re-valuation. Many factors go into assessing the value of a home or business, including its location, the size of the structure and its features, including renovations, and the neighborhood in which it is located.
While the assessor determines the value of the property, the office does not collect the taxes. That is done by the tax collector's office.
Patricia Spychala is currently serving as part-time deputy tax assessor.
The mayor, who serves a four-year term, is the chief elected official and is responsible for appointing other key officials, including the police chief and the board of education. The mayor cannot vote at Common Council meetings except to break ties, although he or she has the right to speak at the council meetings.
The current mayor is Ellen Dickson.
This 13.5-acre estate located in Summit, New Jersey features gardens and woodland trails, which are open to the public seven day per week from dawn until dusk. Reeves-Reed Arboretum is a National Historic Landmark, which provides horticulture education programs and gardening workshops for children and adults in addition to Sounds of a Summer Night Jazz Series and Art in the Garden.
For additional information on events or to join Friends of RRA, be sure to visit the website provided. Members receive free admission to events as well as discounts and benefits throughout the year.
The Emergency Operations Center of the Office of Emergency Management is located at the Summit Fire Department. In case of an emergency, town officials, police, fire and representatives of the Emergency Planning Board will convene at the Office of Emergency Management to maintain command central for the crisis. The head of the Office of Emergency Management is city administrator Christopher Cotter.
The city has an emergency operations plan that it will follow in case of an emergency.
The city clerk serves as the secretary of the municipal corporation, as the local election administrator, and as secretary to the governing body, providing a variety of administrative and community relations services for them. This office receives, distributes and assigns all correspondence on behalf of the Mayor and Council, prepares Council Meeting agendas, resolutions, ordinances and public meeting minutes, and maintains the official city files and records. The Clerk also acts as general liaison to all volunteer boards.
The current city clerk is David L. Hughes.
City Hall is the hub of Summit's government. The building houses the offices of the town clerk, town administrator, mayor and council, municipal court, finance office, health office, parking services office, housing authority, tax assessor and tax collector's offices. It also houses the City of Summit Police Department. City council meetings are held in the council chambers inside city hall.
The City Administrator is appointed by the Mayor and Common Council to carry out the policies they establish. The administrator is also responsible for managing the city's workforce and developing and overseeing the operating and capital budgets, personnel administration, public information and the development and management of special projects.
The current city administrator is Christopher Cotter.
The Treasurer's office administers the financial affairs of the city, including purchasing, general accounting, salary and benefits administration, investments, preparation of bond issues as well as doing the accounting on all city capital projects.
The current chief financial officer/city treasurer is Ronald Angelo.