Road Dispute Won't Mean Cut in City Housing Funds

The Cambridge City Council learned last night that disputes over highway programs in the City will not lead to a cutback or curoff of Federal funds for housing projects.

In a statement to the Council, Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass.) said that he has consulted with officials of the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. Brooke said that he learned that DOT officials are "now proceeding with a re-evaluation of the Inner Belt program and that until that study is completed [which will take more than a year] no decision will be taken on this controversial question."

City Manager James L. Sullivan, Justin Gray, his assistant for Community Development, and City Councillor Daniel J. Hayes flew down to Washington, D.C. yesterday morning for a meeting with Massachusetts congressmen and senators on the alleged blackmail by the two Federal agencies. Gray reported last week that HUD had threatened to cut off funds for housing projects unless the City agreed to state and Federal proposals on the Inner Belt and the Route 2 extension.

Itemized Account

The Council also received last night a proposal of the City Manager's committee to study rent control and related issues. The proposal was in the form of an ordinance which asked that "every owner of taxable real estate in Cambridge who rents or leases any structures or portion thereof" be required to file a statement with the Board of Assessors listing the rent he receives on the property and an itemized accounting of all his expenses related to it. The rental statements filed with the Assessors would become public property. Failure to file the statement would incur a fine of $50 a day.

The Rev. Richard Butler, chairman of the Rent Control Committee, said that the ordinance would "make available rent incomes for all to see and thus make known previously undisclosed practices like rent gouging." Butler added that the public disclosures of rent income would provide the Assessors with information for a possible increase in the City tax base.

Controversial

The proposal was referred to the Committee on Ordinances for a hearing June 9. Councillor Bernard E. Goldberg, chairman of the Ordinance Committee, said that because the proposal is controversial, at least one hearing will be essential. Goldberg said that such a motion might only increase rents in the City, because landlords would pass on the expense of increased assessments to their tenants.