Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Policy Good Cause Eviction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Schenectady council debates opting into state 'good cause' eviction law; vote expected later
Summary
Councilmembers debated whether the city should opt into New York State's good cause eviction law. Proponents framed the law as tenant protection; opponents raised concerns about impacts on small landlords, the tax base and court workload. No vote was taken; sponsor plans to return a proposal at the next committee cycle.
Councilmembers spent an extended portion of the June 16 committee meeting debating whether Schenectady should opt into New York State’s newly enacted good cause eviction statute. The discussion covered tenant protections, potential effects on small landlords, court capacity and coordination with recently passed rental-certificate legislation.
“The reason why I support good cause eviction is because of the protections in place for tenants,” said Councilmember Williams, who urged colleagues to read the state law and cited local housing‑security data showing elevated renter housing problems.
Opponents warned of possible consequences for small, local landlords, said some landlords might sell properties if they could not raise rents as needed, and raised concerns about court backlogs. Councilmember Munger said he had read analyses suggesting many local landlords are small-scale operators for whom rent controls could pose challenges. Several councilmembers and the mayor noted that owner‑occupied dwellings and other exemptions can be written into a local opting-in law.
The city’s corporation counsel described two key local choices if Schenectady were to opt in: the local definition of “small landlord” (the state default is 10 units or fewer) and whether to adopt a fair‑market‑rent percentage above the statute’s fallback. Counsel also said the statute references county-level Fair Market Rent (FMR) figures provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Mayor (unnamed) asked the council to weigh a recently passed state bill that would make eviction filings contingent on participation in the city’s rental‑certificate program; he commended city staff and the clerk’s office for work on that legislation and urged the council to consider the state bill together with any local action on good cause eviction.
Sponsor Councilmember Farley said he brought the item as a discussion piece to allow councilmembers to study the statute and consult constituents; he said he intends to return with a draft for a vote next committee cycle. No ordinance or local law was adopted at the June 16 meeting.
