Schenectady council rejects ‘good cause’ eviction local law, approves housing stability task force

The Schenectady City Council on July 28 voted against a proposed local law that would have added Article 5, Section 210‑20 to Chapter 210 of the Schenectady City Code — a prohibition on eviction without good cause — and approved a separate resolution establishing a city housing stability task force.

The local law was defeated in a roll call vote, 4‑3. The council then approved a resolution to form a nine‑member housing stability task force by the same margin, 4‑3. Both items drew the largest public turnout of the evening: council staff recorded 33 people signed up to speak on the legislative agenda and dozens of residents and landlords addressed the council during the public comment period.

Why it matters: supporters argued the ordinance would protect tenants from retaliatory or arbitrary nonrenewals and reduce housing instability; opponents — many of them small landlords — said the change would strip property owners of necessary business discretion and raise operating costs. Both sides urged the council to pursue other remedies, including stronger code enforcement and expanded tenant legal services.

Public comment and council debate: dozens of speakers took the podium. Chris Morris, introduced as director of SLIC (Landlords Influencing Change), told the council, “landlords are not in the business of evictions…a good tenant is a most valuable partner,” and urged investment in code enforcement, a strengthened landlord registration system, and tenant training. Several self‑identified small landlords described maintenance costs and one‑time capital repairs — for example a $15,000 roof and…