Council committee begins drafting rent-stabilization petition, plans public listening sessions

The Easthampton rent study committee told the city council on March 4 that it plans to draft a rent-stabilization policy this year and explore a state home-rule petition allowing the city to implement local rent limits.

"The committee purpose has two pieces," Councilor Kaam Jamro Mcuade said, explaining the panel is considering a home-rule petition for the Legislature while also studying other actions the city can take to support and protect renters. He said the committee has met multiple times since October and has consulted Boston housing officials and other case studies.

The committee has invited guest experts, including staff from the Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing and a University of Minnesota researcher, and plans listening sessions "around the end of March, early April" to gather community input, Jamro Mcuade said. The group’s goal is to produce a draft policy to submit before the 2027 legislative session deadline.

Why it matters: A home-rule petition would ask the state Legislature to grant Easthampton a specific authority it does not currently have; the committee emphasized public engagement before any formal proposal. Jamro Mcuade said the effort will include outreach to tenants, landlords and other stakeholders and that the committee hopes for a broad base of community input.

What’s next: The rent study committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. in Conference Room B, and the committee plans to advertise and hold public listening sessions in late March or early April.

The council discussion did not include a formal vote on a petition; it was an update on the committee’s work plan.