OSWEGO – Code enforcement compliance for rental housing was a top issue discussed during the Oswego Common Council meeting, Monday, February 22.
Due to complaints received from tenants who had been placed in housing by social service agencies, Mayor Billy Barlow revisited the current Memoradum of Understanding Agreement held between area agencies and the city.
During last week’s February 15 committee meeting, Barlow relayed specific examples of landlord complacency, including an apartment without a bathroom and a home with raw sewage in the basement. Barlow said the tenants living without a bathroom were using pots and pans in the backyard.
After visiting a home himself, Barlow contacted the Oswego County Department of Social Services and Oswego County Opportunities to find out why discrepancies in tenant placement was occurring, thus putting a plan in place to further prohibit objectionable landlord practices.
The City of Oswego will now enter into an updated MOU Agreement with OCO and DSS to ensure enhanced code enforcement measures are being taken before placing people into housing.
DSS and OCO cannot place someone into a rental unit in Oswego unless the unit has a valid rental permit. In order to get a permit, the landlord has to swear an affidavit to Code Enforcement maintaining their unit is code compliant. Homes/apartments must remain code compliant or risk losing their permit.
In order to regain another rental permit, landlords must fix issues, become and stay code compliant and remain current with taxes on all existing properties. If any unpaid taxes are due on any landlord properties, or any properties remain non-compliant to code enforcement rules, rental permits will not be re-issued.
“It’s really a nice fact-check that city governments [can] put in place for landlords – to make sure that tenants, particularly tenants who are placed into these units by government, are placed into units that are code compliant, [that] offer adequate housing conditions, and meet the bare minimum housing standards set forth by New York state,” Barlow said. “And really [it] is the right thing to do – to place these tenants in a home, in an environment, and in living conditions where they can actually live and the find a way to self sufficiency, and improve themselves as they work through whatever they’re working through.”
Also discussed during the meeting was the approval of the 2021 paving plan for the City of Oswego. The plan will include targeted sections of every ward, while addressing much needed repairs on the bumpiest streets in the city.
Both the Consolidated Local Streets and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and the Pave-NY funding have been secured; the city is still waiting on the Extreme Winter Recover (EWR) Program funds to secure the last $80,000 for paving.
All items on the agenda were passed unanimously and are as follows:
- Approve minutes from the February 8 Common Council meeting.
- Appoint Commissioner of Deeds.
- Approve use of public space for the owner of 30 W. Fifth St. – installation of a retaining wall.
- Approve use of public space for the owner of 114 E. Eleventh St. – construction of a new porch.
- Donation of a Memorial Bench in memory of Elijah Lake.
- Donation of a Memorial Bench in memory of John Sincavage.
- Authorization of documents necessary for the 2021 Summer Concert Series, Water Street Square Concert Series and the Independence Day Celebration.
- Authorize mayor to renew lease agreement with Harborfest for space at the McCrobie Building.
- Authorize mayor to sign Amendment No. 2 with GHD Consulting Engineers, LLC for services for the Combined Sewer Rehabilitation Project – Phase 3.
- Authorize mayor to sign Amendment No. 10 with GHD Consulting Engineers, LLC for services for the Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project.
- Authorize mayor to sign Amendment No. 2 with GHD Consulting Engineers, LLC for services for the McCaffrey Water Treatment Plant Improvements Project.
- Appoint Nancy Sterio to the Board of Assessment for a three-year term.
- Appointment of Mark Brunschweiger to the Board of Assessment Review for a five-year term.
- Transfer funds for emergency demolition of 13 Shore Road home.
- Budget amendment to pay for Essential Employee Testing Program.
- Authorize mayor to execute documents to settle judgment and outstanding indebtedness against the Woodruff Block, LLC – Thomas Millar.
Common Council meetings are held the second and fourth Mondays of every month. The next meeting will be held Monday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m.
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