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County OKs Jamestown office lease to support state-funded lead rental registry targeting ZIP code 14701
Summary
Chautauqua County approved a four-year lease with the City of Jamestown to house staff for a New York State-funded lead rental registry targeting ZIP code 14701; the grant will cover rent, furnishings and some buildout through 2029 and staff said the program emphasizes preventive inspections of multi-unit rentals every three years.
Chautauqua County’s Human Services Committee approved a four-year lease with the City of Jamestown that county staff said will provide office space for new staff working on a state-funded lead rental registry targeting ZIP code 14701.
Jessica Wursley, Chautauqua County Director of Environmental Health, said the county has new staff included in the 2025 budget who will work on the lead rental registry and that "the rent will be paid for with the money provided by New York State for that [lead rental registry] program." She said the acceptance of that grant money was handled by a resolution in June and that the lease term aligns with the current grant commitment into 2029.
Wursley said the space will function primarily as a workspace for field and clerical staff supporting inspections and landlord engagement; basic buildout (networking and furnishings) will be covered by the grant.
Lacey Wilson, Public Health Director, said the lead rental registry is modeled after programs in Monroe County (Rochester) and is intended to be preventive rather than reactive. Wilson told members the county will require inspections of structures with two or more rental units every three years as part of the registry framework and that the state identified a set of zip codes of concern.
During the discussion, a committee member noted the program targets ZIP code 14701; staff confirmed much of that area is Jamestown but that it also covers adjacent areas within the ZIP code. The committee approved the lease resolution by voice vote.
Staff described the program as combining lead hazard inspections with wraparound services funded partly by ARPA and other sources to address housing quality and childhood lead exposure before elevated blood-lead cases occur.
Outcome: resolution authorizing the lease was approved by voice vote; the transcript records members saying "Aye." No roll-call tallies were included in the meeting minutes provided in the transcript.
