West Haven council hears public concerns over proposed Fair Rent Commission ordinance changes

The West Haven City Council heard nearly an hour of public comment on proposed amendments to Chapter 97 of the city code — the Fair Rent Commission ordinance — during a public hearing convened by the council’s legislative matters committee. Speakers urged the council to revise language they said could limit tenants’ access to hearings, improperly require supermajorities and overlook state retaliation protections.

The proposed changes to Chapter 97 were introduced by Mayor Dorinda Borer and discussed at a public hearing attended by Fair Rent Commission Chair Steven Mullins, tenant advocates and legal aid attorneys. Steven Mullins, chair of the Fair Rent Commission, told the council the commission has convened and begun hearings and that applications are available in the mayor’s, corporation counsel’s and city clerk’s offices. “We have had several cases before us over the last year,” Mullins said, adding the commission includes landlord and tenant representatives and that “that is how the commission is set up. And that is…