Take 'Em as they Come

This week we had the long awaited vote on Second Reading of the "Rental Registration" Ordinance, which would require landlords to register their properties, pay a fee, and be held accountable for the actions of their tenants. The genesis of this Ordinance was from all the complaints that have arisen over the years regarding quality of life infractions by some tenants - especially near Seton Hall. The initial draft of this Ordinance had a much higher fee structure and after receiving resident feedback, was ultimately stricken and revised.

Which brought us to last night and the Public Hearing on this revised Ordinance. Prior to the meeting, I had heard a smattering of opposition, but I was not sure how widespread those concerns were. I also knew that the INTENT of the Ordinance was good and it seemed to be a reasonable approach to a longstanding problem. However, since I had no vested interest either way, I went into the meeting with an open mind and was interested to hear what the public had to say. We initially heard from an attorney who, while raising some very interesting points, also went a bit far over the top in the drama department. Rightfully so, Trustee Bauer did call him on some of these allegations. However, the memo he provided us in writing seemed to provide some reasonable suggestions. The night continued with a multitude of landlords who were outraged by the details, or lack thereof, of this Ordinance for a variety of reasons.

When it came time to vote, my decisions came down to a few key points - a) With the number of people who turned out, there was not a single person who spoke in favor of the ordinance. b) The members of the public articulated their concerns well and raised valid objections which raised doubt in my mind that this Ordinance was ready for passage in its current form c) Ultimately, the whole point of a Public Hearing is to listen to the members of the public and take their feedback into account, when possible. A Public Hearing should not simply be a formality.

Ultimately, I think SOME FORM of an Ordinance is still a good idea, but after listening to all the feedback, I realized that we should try to incorporate them, not simply pass an ordinance because we don't want to "start all over again". No law is ever perfect, but I came to the realization that this one still needed some more work and voted "No". However, my colleagues didn't agree and the Rental Registration Ordinance passed by a vote of 4-1-1.