The Mayor and Council continue to deprive concerned residents of important information about the low income housing plans for our Town, including their plans for other developments (not just the large 100% low income rental project at 200 Hartford Road). The Council is apparently pressing ahead with its plan to withhold information from the residents until AFTER they settle the on-going law suit with the Fair Share Housing Center, Inc. During this lawsuit the Council is also seeking approval for a new Master Plan that will bind the Township's residents for at least the next 10 years. The Mayor and Counsel take this position despite being presented with a Petition containing almost 650 signatures (including people who signed the hard copy and not on-line) and lively discussions during Council meetings in September, October and November with concerned Moorestown residents. We sent various emails/letters to the Council from this Group. We presented the Counsel a policy brief article authored by a nationally recognized Organization that advocates for more affordable housing. In that policy brief, various housing professionals opined that a high concentration of low income housing in an affluent town/neighborhood can depreciate the existing neighborhoods (and I believe thereby devaluing the entire town). We presented our questions about the impact on the Moorestown schools and our taxes (as the taxpayers in town will be required to financially support 150+ low income families who will live in the housing project tax free). The Council has not responded in any meaningful way to these questions other than to say "trust us, we are making the best decision for the whole town." Notwithstanding our attempts to engage the Council in meaningful discussions, the only information we obtained has been through formal requests under the Open Public Records Act. We started fundraising to retain an attorney and a professional planner to review the Council's plans in the on-going litigation that is pending to determine Moorestown's "affordable housing" obligation (i.e., the # of low/moderate income homes) and approval of the future master housing plan for the Town. We are NOT suing the Township. We are merely going to attempt to enter into the litigation to make sure that there is someone looking out for the best interests of the residents who share our concerns. Because of the generosity of our neighbors, we met our first goal of raising funds to retain an attorney. We are raising additional funds for a professional planner to review the Township's plans and for future professional fees if needed. We have done everything in an open way, with nothing to hide. Indeed at the last Council meeting, one of the Council members stated that he was aware of this Group and that we are planning to hire professionals to review the Council's plans and he refused to answer any more questions from me. Because the Mayor and Council may not fully appreciate how many residents have serious concerns about this low income housing issue, we recommend that you call or email the Mayor and Council and express your concerns. If this Petition is not getting their attention, perhaps emails from their "bosses" (i.e. the residents who elected them and pay them to represent us) may get them to respond. Here is the contact information for the Mayor and Council. Council: towncouncil@moorestown.nj.us Mayor: mayor@moorestown.nj.us or mdelgado@moorestown.nj.us; phone number 856-914-3001 Deputy Mayor: sjordan@moorestown.nj.us Thank you.