Butler council approves landlord-occupancy webpage after resident raises privacy concerns

Butler City Council voted on Feb. 26 to add a "Landlord Occupancy" section to the city’s new website, approving the work at a cost of $11,500.

During the public-comment period resident Anthony Closkey voiced concerns about what information would be kept in the proposed database and whether landlords could retrieve records of prior tenants. Closkey asked the council to clarify what data would be accessible and to include privacy safeguards before the feature goes live.

Councilman Douthett brought the motion to add the section; the motion was seconded and carried with Councilman Douthett, Councilman Painter, Councilman Herr and Mayor Rohilla Robert A. Dandoy voting aye. Councilwoman Quebedeaux cast the sole dissenting vote.

The council did not specify the precise data fields that will be collected or the access controls that will apply to landlord accounts during the discussion. The motion authorizes the website addition and expenditure; it does not record any accompanying policy changes or specific privacy protections. The council did not set a follow-up date to report back with details on data retention, access controls or safeguards.

Next steps: the city will proceed with the website work authorized by the motion. The transcript does not specify an implementation timeline or which department will manage data access and privacy oversight.