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Tenant‑union leader urges Gaithersburg to increase budget for landlord‑tenant enforcement
Summary
A co‑chair of the Gaithersburg Tenant Union told the council that many tenants do not know about neighborhood services or fear retaliation, and urged the council to increase budgeted enforcement to protect housing stability.
Lindseay Buouie, co‑chair of the Gaithersburg Tenant Union, returned to the council on April 20 to press for expanded resources for landlord‑tenant enforcement in the city’s proposed budget.
"Our concern is that the high volume of tenants that we encounter...are unaware that neighborhood services exist or that tenants do not know about neighborhood services and are worried about fear of retaliation from their landlords," Buouie said, asking councilmembers to increase funding to ensure tenants can seek help without fear.
Buouie acknowledged that staff resolve many tenant inquiries and cases but said that unresolved or unreported problems remain common among the tenants the union meets. She asked the council to make a "very real investment to housing stability and the rights of tenants in Gaithersburg." The council thanked the speaker and said the testimony would be considered in the budget process; no formal budget motion or vote occurred that night.
Ending: The council noted the testimony and indicated it would be included in budget deliberations; no appropriation or staff directive was made at the April 20 meeting.
