Ordinance subcommittee advances revised Fair Rent Commission ordinance; public hearing set

The Torrington ordinance subcommittee voted to advance a revised Fair Rent Commission ordinance (Chapter 24) and asked the full City Council to schedule a public hearing on the draft. The council later set the public hearing for Aug. 4.

What the draft does The subcommittee and corporate counsel reviewed edits that largely track prior committee discussion: it clarifies the commission—omposition (minimum and maximum member counts), removes rigid slotting of members by tenant/landlord/neutral categories and directs the appointing authority to seek balance "to the extent possible." The subcommittee also recommended that the city follow statute-based language where the code had previously relied on verbatim statutory text.

Process and participation Kevin Hayes, chairman of the Fair Rent Commission, attended the subcommittee meeting but the committee did not open the session to public comment. The subcommittee chair moved to recommend the revised draft and to forward it to the council for a public hearing.

Why it matters If adopted after public comment, the ordinance will govern the make-up and operation of the Fair Rent Commission, a municipal body created under state law to hear rental dispute and regulation matters; it affects tenants, landlords and property owners across Torrington.

Ending: The council formally scheduled the public hearing for Aug. 4; the subcommittee and commission chairs indicated they will present during the hearing and the public will have an opportunity to comment then.