The Newark City Council approved a $950-thousand legal settlement last night with a group of landlords that also requires the city to cut its rental-permit fees by a third.
The Wilmington News Journal reports that, if approved by the court the deal would reduce annual fees for houses from $300 to $200.
The fees for apartment complexes with 15 or more units would come down from $70 to $45 per unit and for those with 14 units or less the fee would $55 per unit.
The paper reports that officials say Newark’s insurance policy will not cover the settlement amount which is expected to include legal costs.
In 2009 the landlords sued the city claiming that the fees were so high that they constituted a tax and asked the court to throw out the annual fee structure and refund the money.
