Poughkeepsie council weighs opting into rent stabilization under Emergency Tenant Protection Act
Poughkeepsie's Common Council held a public hearing on Tuesday to see if the city should opt in to the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
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Poughkeepsie's Common Council held a public hearing on Tuesday to see if the city should opt into the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
Jeffrey Dash, a retired veteran who said he relies on affordable housing, attended the meeting at City Hall.
He told News 12 that he recently found out that his building was going to increase his rent by $300.
When asked if he could afford the new rate, he said, "Right now, no."
Dash opened up about his dilemma in front of Poughkeepsie Common Council members.
They're deciding if they should opt into the act that stabilizes rent.
Naomi Dann, chief of staff at Housing Justice for All, said the act has stipulations.
"It only applies though to buildings that were built before 1974 and have more than six units," Dann said.
A recent study conducted by the city found that Poughkeepsie has a vacancy rate of 3.96%.
This makes them eligible to opt into rent stabilization under the act.
Many concerned tenants and landlords shared their opinions about this potential move at the hearing.
"The city should absolutely opt into the Emergency Tenant Protection Act," Daniel Atonna, a tenant's rights activist said. "It will provide protections for about 1,500 apartments."
Ken Levinson, a landlord who attended the hearing, told council members that he wasn't in favor of the potential move.
"It's gonna do more harm than good because such a small segment of apartments are stabilized," Levinson said.
News 12 got in touch with Mayor Yvonne Flowers to learn about when a decision could be made.
"It is up to the chair and the rest of the council about when they want to do that," Flowers said. "Normally it could be about within 30 days or so."
The mayor said she is a landlord herself.
However, she told News 12 that she empathizes with tenants everywhere when asked if she thinks the city should opt into the act or not.
