The lack of affordable housing in Catskill Pt. 2
The process to pass Good Cause Eviction legislation in the Village of Catskill began tonight
On Oct. 9 the Village of Catskill began the process of considering opting-in to New York’s new Good Cause Eviction law that sets guidelines for evictions and rent increases. Council members (above, l-r, Jamie Mitchell, Daniel Ward, Natasha Law, and Joseph Kozloski. Jeffrey Workman has apparently missed several meetings in a row) at the meeting did not hint at their final vote on opting-in, but did appear inclined to amend the state’s version of the law in the only way they can, by changing the definition of a “small landlord.” They can decide the number of units a landlord can own to qualify as a “small landlord.” The village board decided on Oct. 9 to have a first public hearing on the issue on Oct. 30. At this meeting, there will be debate about the number the village lands on for that definition. A second public hearing, on Nov. 13, will most likely end with a vote on the issue.
City and State explains the issue better than I can.
“Good cause” eviction protections were included in this year’s state budget after a years-long legislative push. The version that made it into the budget was weaker than the original “good cause” eviction bill and contained numerous carve-outs for small luxury apartments and small landlords. It also requires municipalities outside of New York City to opt in to the policy, rather than automatically applying to all eligible properties statewide.
The law prohibits the eviction or removal of tenants from housing accommodations without good cause, and it regulates rent increases, so they cannot be too large. Albany, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Rochester, and Ithaca were the first six New York municipalities to opt-in to the Good Cause Eviction law. Last week the Village of Nyack opted-in. Katie Sims, co-chair of Ithaca Tenants Union, explains about the law that, “It also helps close a loophole for discrimination and retaliation. So, say you have a leak in your bathroom and it's making it super moldy and it's flooded all the time. And if you ask your landlord to fix that, historically it's been pretty easy for them to say, 'actually, no, you just aren't going to get a new lease.'”
Activists across the Hudson River in the city of Hudson are bringing the same issue to the Common Council for a vote there on Oct. 15. The Village of New Paltz has also “renewed discussions” on the issue, and Syracuse is looking into opting-in.
Below is video of the Village of Catskill meeting, starting with the mention of Good Cause. The audio above is the entire meeting. For some reason, the Village of Catskill does not offer its constituents a live webstream of its own to watch or listen to their meetings.
Read “The lack of affordable housing in Catskill Pt. 1” here.
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