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sustainability
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thank you
so good evening everyone thank you for
coming in entertainment for tonight this
is our town hall meeting for the housing
issues
avoiding in and I just like to say we
appreciate all of you taking the time to
come out and voice your concerns and
give us your feedback on
City
here we have a number of council members
present looking forward to hearing your
opinions and also feedback on this issue
walk it from myself on the side of the
panel I have councilmember John John
Mayer myself Carla Williams we have
council president
Crestview council member uh John
palamini councilman member of Dorian
tutorial and also a council member
Farley non-attendance tonight as
councilman Carmel Patrick who would be
with us here and looking forward to
continuing the conversation when we
bring back to our councilman
in addition to that I'd also like to
recognize mayor McCarthy who's here in
attendance I don't know if you'd like to
share to share words
Fearless thing likewise
so again you want to save the majority
of the time to listen to your concerns
so at this time I would like to turn the
mic over to the council member
thank you
okay so again I want to welcome everyone
here tonight
um housing was a very important issue in
our city
um and you know as my time in the
council I've been you know contacted by
multiple people
um talking about their inability to
afford their rent
um
talk to and contacted by his landlord so
we're saying that you know they are
recovering from you know some of the
legislation exact words are put in place
during uh the pandemic that really uh
left them and really a bad situation and
unable to make the minimum payments to
maintain the property so that sounds
like a crisis to me and what we want to
do today is kind of Welcome everybody in
to kind of help create Collective
solution right I'm a collective solution
where we can work together we thought
Partners on this and see you know what
can the city do you know to assist in
the organization and again this isn't
just going to be us us talking at you
tonight we really want to be listening
to to your concerns but also your
feedback and also your great wonderful
ideas and how we can you know really
um I want to highlight that tonight I
want to make sure that we are here to
give each other a respect to listen to
one another
um and work together collect
community
about some solutions that work for all
and you're not just representing
ourselves we are representing our fellow
community members who are not connected
with us here tonight so if you're hot so
I trust that we all have been engaging
in this conversation in the great spirit
years ago
thank you and again welcome to everyone
I'm glad that you're here and that we
are able to take us on so the first
thing that I wanted to uh remind people
to say if you didn't know that the
e-wrap program is accepting applications
again right now um they're accepting
application processing applications
through that have been received through
the 30th of September
and but they're continuing to uh
receive applications and once they get
through this week they'll funding it
funding allows they'll move on to the
second one so if you have people that
are in that situation or if you as
landlords want to submit your
application I recommend that you do that
and if you have an application that was
submitted before the 30th of September
then you know you should expect you to
hear something soon because I did speak
with um today the office of temporary
disability assistance today and they um
said yes they're processing through the
study so
um and I know it's a oh daunting process
having to submit called a paperwork
that's that's our documented sometimes
so I just wanted to make sure that
you're all aware of that and you can
have the information on also to your
tenants for for landlords that are here
testing on to your tenants and for
tenants that already pass it on to the
landlord your landlord
again we want to have Solutions and we
understand as we set it up the pandemic
and all of that so we're here to collect
them and see how we can um make things
work
the other thing I wanted to just mention
and because I am I understand
some other events are and so I just want
to remind people that the media can come
from City connecting with 47
773 so
um the rule of thumb is that you pay
about a third of your income for housing
so in that case that would be about
thirteen hundred twenty seven dollars
just letting you know that and I
obviously don't know what everyone's
income is they're using the median and
then what that meant would be if you if
that's what you mean and that is your
gross income not from that that you
bring home
so um finally I just need to give you
the uh
housekeeping details recipe start out
this door to your right
um please if you have several please use
them I'll put them on vibrates
uh we do have three minutes to make your
comments if there's a my phone whatever
those didn't want to make them come up
make comments especially so so we can
make sure that they are captured by our
video videographer back here the
timekeeper is during the tour so she
well when your parents are up we'll
probably hear a film and then you can go
over with it then you would actually
just wrap that up
that is is this time
so I'll be diligently take notes on this
side of the room if you wouldn't mind
there's no sign in so as you feel uh
comfortable to speak you can just walk
up to the mic some of the questions that
we're thinking to prompt some responses
of what we're looking for as a
comfortable body is in your opinion what
are the challenges facing landlords
tenants and homeowners from the city and
then a couple of questions that would
also be what are your recommendations to
address this issue so as we've mentioned
and also this conversation has contained
at the council level we've heard a
number of issues having this opportunity
now to just hear again on this format if
you wouldn't mind just as you are
learning and able you can kind of start
winding up on this side of the room this
week
okay
sorry all right my name is toddler I'm
vice president of Capital District
Association there's no Property
Management I'm also talking in the city
of these type of districts but I'm
really speaking on my on my own behalf
at this point
so
challenges facing landlords and private
homeowners include uh effectively the
broad overreach of government and the
growing inability of landlords to remove
Bad actors from being the system has
witnessed countless times during the
ushan Mike and Sham in fact their
mission monitorium under the unfunded
Iraq that's the real problem another
problem with challenges the increasing
humility to properly screen perspective
tenants and include those who receive
those who are deemed to be unqualified
on the basis of objective factors and
we're getting crushed by having those
different factors and one of the bases
you can move from our third edition
which has been sold to them as
additional protections quote unquote the
HS EPA of 2019 and other local laws are
429 much higher price than might
otherwise be necessary because
government Fiat has increased and
expanded the risks that private owners
must overcome increased risks of cost
space by landlords must be offset with
higher rents because while the
government is quick to Levy penalties
and delay action to correct the behavior
of tenant government is not about to
offsets across formed by landlords and
efforts required by landlords to correct
those bad Acts
another significant challenge is the
failure of the city building the codes
departments to enforce the
responsibilities of tenants
any government finds it easier to Target
and hold responsible tax bank property
owners because they are an easier Target
due to their unmovable State and the
Enterprise
can disappear with 30 days notice and
never be held accountable landlords
should not be punished for the bad Act
of structures
be the attendance for trespassers
particularly when it comes to behaviors
that destroy property pollute common
spaces like streets and alleys and
participate in nuisance behaviors that
affect the community and reduce the
quality of life landlords and Property
Owners should not have to go through the
extraordinary gymnastics to right the
wrongest opposed by those who should
their civil responsibilities as human
beings living in our community
has four recommendations I would say
frankly stay away from the notion of
rent control rent regulation make
similar Concepts do not add further
regulations to compete the rights of
property owners who have worked hard and
earned the ability to offer good
functional housing defense instead work
with property owners to even the playing
field and tear down barriers that add
unaffordable costs to landlords or
Property Owners inevitably must be
passed along to the tens participating
Landlord Association meetings around the
capitol District have open dialogue and
seek to understand the business of the
rental industry before passing
additional regulations into law enforce
the responsibility for one by tenants in
terms of candidate properties that they
have been given the opportunity to look
at them
[Applause]
foreign
and my problem is is that
this like when they took the months of
unleash I had four children even when
I'm paying my rent on time and I have
all my receipts to back me up they still
asked us to leave without purpose like
the thoughts that's how it goes
and now my children have suffered from
depression but keep having to move to
school to school missing out on their
friendships
and my one of my children are suffering
from a learning disability
from the two of the months of my knees
so I'm just asking for any kind of help
to help or stability for my children or
other people that's in the same
situation as me
I don't think the children should suffer
[Applause]
hi my name is
and I'm here to speak against the
proposed staff on the rent uh increases
the landlords to charge
and I just want to know why why the
range against the landlord wide awake I
don't know why people have such race
against Lazarus we basically try to make
things we have a lot of responsibility
of paying the doctor's taxes and
utilities
and
school taxes plus you know insurance and
we need to feed our families and pay for
our food so if you're putting a cap on the rental charge are you able to put
a cap on utility costs for such a
material costs the side rockets in some
instances they're quad approval and
prices in the insurance premium that's
going up high and the labor costs
probably at school taxes that you know
always increasing if you put a cap on
that of all these materials maybe you
could entertainment
and there were also some policy I'm here
to speak against some policy that the
city used to do I'm not sure if it's
still an effect but the city-owned
properties that were selling to an
investor in the city
they they were the investors that bought
these properties were forced to reduce
the number of units from four and three
to one or two the maximum allowance was
one or two and I know a lot of people
that bought for us and they were forced
to reduce it to two and you know some
edges like this one actually reduce the
number of units in the city uh the other
thing is you know there were a lot of
permits that were granted to building a
home a bunch of apartment downtown
apartment buildings and these were
luxurious brand they had also like
fourteen hundred dollars in a box
and the city really never required you
know these Developers
who have to allocate a portion of their
properties for uh to to low rental or
low income individuals uh in the city of
New York you know they do that at some
other city so before you grab a permit
you should really look into requiring
these top Andy Corners uh to have some
low-income individual correctly from
there or allocate proportions like 10
percent of the foreign
the city also demolished a whole bunch
of properties that were really good
properties I don't know why we had a lot
of money so you had a lot of money to
demolish properties and if these
properties where available now they were
contributed to the office in the city
but the opposite happened
also there were a lot of incentive
offers to home ownership in the city but
another centers were offered to landlord
on the contract the landlords were
really
convenient it would be by by Authority
enforcement and the over enforcement of
code
we were charged we would charge a whole
bunch of uh of uh fees and uh
we you know just the administrative fee
if the foreign
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um also if you're looking to have these
if you if it doesn't have problems
paying the rents why don't you guys look
into expanding all these rental
assistance programs like Section 8
social service programs or era I mean
you know we just announced that
theoretical is taking application again
but you know we suffer if these programs
are not paying we suffer and then a lot
of people I'm sure a lot of landlords in
this room have suffered during the covet
I lost a lot of money and it was never
recovered by Iraq or whatever happened
there was also the issue of police
assistance the police is so partially
you know a lot of landlords might agree
the the police in this city is very
partial to terrorists if there is a
dispute between attendant and a landlord
and the police is called him they are so
partial against the landlord and
protests and that's you know that's
going to change I mean you know I don't
know why the landlord are being escaped
growth uh the UCA code of this of this
crisis you know we have a crisis you
know you're looking into that
so the general equity in here is protest
against landlord and that really must
change
landlord
for the housing problem the city council
please say so thank you
[Applause]
hi my name is
you guys are going to lose
find a cat
vent
so what about taxes definitely and if
you guys feel the need to cap our income
because that's my bread and butter so it
should be half years because now you're
starting about what you just that's my
weight that's how I make a living that's
how I eat that's how I pay my rent my
mortgages my houses so then maybe should
we should cap everybody start with the
people on the piano
that's how I feel and I think a lot of
people feel like that awesome
Schenectady PD understanding how they're
not very
adequate I have and whoever's hearing me
think that I'm speaking wrong I'm not I
have no problem this is what happened I
have a tenant that has AK-47 in my house
with three felonies I went to
Schenectady PD told them to remove him
he pulled the gun out of my door first
yes and you know what happened I called
at three o'clock they came back twelve
his wife
and said oh there's no problem
also he destroyed my house now I'm going
to fix my house up he destroyed it
because his gun went off and they said
to me you have to wait till he's evicted
so right now I'm staying with it but now
I have mold because he hit a pipe and
now the water is saturating my my area
it's ridiculous I mean I don't mind
having a cap on anything but if we're
gonna have cats everybody should have a
cat
black and white thank you
[Applause]
good evening everyone my name is Jamaica
miles I've lived in this city my entire
life and that's entire flight within
rental properties from Hamilton Hill to
Upper State Street throughout the city
multiple zip codes and I've had
experiences where property owners were
absolutely amazing I've had experiences
where property owners are absolutely
horrible in the maintenance of the
building and how they treated me and my
children and how to spoke to me over a
three-year period I live in three
different homes where they all were sold
from underneath me I've been living
there with my children someone bought
the property decided that they wanted to
live in the property I have 30 days to
move it happened three times over three
years
transiently inside the state of
Schenectady is a major concern not just
for tenants but especially for those
that have children I happen to be a
school board member just last night we
were talking about the impact on our
children and what transient housing what
that means for our children the negative
impact on their education we've heard
from someone just earlier a specific
point relating to that there are a
number of things I wanted to share a lot
of data with all of you to take back
later but some things I want to lift up
rent is going faster than Wages that's
been true for decades it's not an
opinion is an effect over the last 30
years the National Stock of rent rental
units actually grew more than 13 million
but the lowest end of those rental
properties fell by almost 4 million
so affordable housing is actually
decreased in the last 30 years while
rental properties have increased Section
8 which was mentioned is massively
underfunded and the waiting time is
absurd sometimes taking years for
individuals
there is indeed a power imbalance
between tenants and property owners
I want to stress that Nolan's property
should be destroyed it's not acceptable
it's not okay
and also we should not demand that any
individual be homeless or like housing
because of someone else's disrespect to
property
are we prioritizing the property of the
people
tenants don't have right to an attorney
and they may fail to make legitimate
defenses or or make basic mistakes or
drastic consequences like going to the
wrong courtroom and not showing up at
the right date and time and when that
eviction is filed it automatically is a
mark against that tenant for years for
them to even get housing after that
so the opportunity to seal evictions
even the ones that are filed even if
they were held against them to ensure
that someone had the opportunity to have
a house for themselves
um
and to ensure that we look at the fact
that rent was too high in 2020.
and it only has escalated since then the
market rate that some people speak about
is something that is adjusted
beyond belief I will wrap up
because in May of this year the rent
average across the U.S surpassed two
thousand dollars
that is something that many of us have
to live with and deal with every single
day again there are so many statistics
and data that are part of a national
study as well as looking at the impact
and disparities of historically
marginalized communities right here in
this city
everyone has a right for their property
to taken care of and everyone has a
right to have housing and to be housed
and for that housing to be adequate and
for them not to be called violations
because if there's a code violation then
it is not up to code for someone to live
in that unit
so let's find a way to make sure that
there's housing for everyone regardless
of their income status and be aware of
the difference between rent control and
rent stabilization because those are not
the same things and we need to be
informed about what the difference is
and where their causes harm and where
their difference thank you
[Applause]
good evening
my name is James uh myself and my
colleague over here we run the outreach
program for State Bank which is located
at 30 1344 uh Albany Street where we
physically get out to the street we find
and service running away and homeless
you or youth with you know with the
infant we house them as well I also
personally own property I own 24 acres
of land so
I'm sorry I'm listening to
a lot of landlords here
and I believe that there's enough blame
to go around on both sides you know and
the young lady that just spoke before me
I want to back up pretty much everything
that you were saying you know again I'm
physically out there in the streets all
right we physically sit down we
physically call landlords right to try
and get you know get the young adults or
a young adult with an infant Apartments
but they're being discriminated against
because they're coming from a shelter
so yeah I understand that you may have
tenants you know that have been bad for
you but everyone is not the same you
know we we had a kid that we got off the
streets and no he changed his life
around we got him into college he was
going to SCC you know when he was doing
all the right things and he was employed
and he was making enough income
you know but he was denied four times by
landlords because he was coming from a
shelter so is that right
not and and homelessness in in the city
of Schenectady and Albany and the
surrounding counties are really really
ticking up at a rampant pace
like I said we're physically out there
in the streets we get the numbers
you know so like it's blamed to go on
both sides
you know and this this is a very very
serious issue that you know if we had a
conscience
you know we wouldn't be biased against
anyone you know we got some slim slim
landlords in South there as well
you know my oldest daughter 36 you know
her landlord wouldn't even fix her
bathroom uh her toilet pipes you know I
had to come out my pocket and get it
fixed and take him to court
you know and he was still giving
leniency by the judge
you know so it works on both sides you
know and I'm not pointing things at no
one side in particular but I know what
the facts are as well you know I'm
dealing with it in my personal life
thank you
[Applause]
good
hi my name is Chris Morris I'm the
director of Swift Schenectady landlord's
influencing change
and my script is home
so I'm going in but I want to read the
department Council that back in May of
May 9th we had 20 page that I have with
me 20 Page presentation of the problems
we were seeing and the struggles that
were in our community
small way I've also talking about in
particular we're suffering with property
damage lack of
rents
Kobe did a number on us we've only been
going for three years with the changes
of laws and covered and the restrictions
that have come on us and lacks with
respect of the properties but okay so we
made that presentation and we asked for
help from the city we are asking for
help as well
so what we finally did was take it upon
ourselves put together a task force and
that's what we're working on with the
city
collaboration with the city and with
code you need to know this that we're
making efforts to make some changes that
will affect the entire community and
will be a plus for the entire Community
to help landlords and tenants
and this is a program that's going to be
very proactive it's a pilot program it
will require a vacation to
landlords to start out with
licensing certification program
we're putting details together it should
be an exciting process that people will
participate in that's what we
believe and they will then be rewarded
because they will be recognized as
people who are interested in their
properties they want to maintain their
properties
the work uh with the community and you
will be able to see an upgrade of the
properties and we we have to say we are
not we are totally aware of the fact
that there's a good value of it on both
sides of Defense
let's face it drive up any Street in
Schenectady and you may see beautiful okay okay and then boom
something that's something that's nasty
but there's a whole area that's nasty
well
whose responsibility is that somebody
owns that property
and somebody might be living here
somebody owns somebody's not taking care
of it
and it is it embarrassment for the community
it should be dealt with but somebody is
whether it's an absentee landlord or
whoever and the people who are living in
it reflected it's a flight toe it is
something that is
very upsetting for the nearby community
and for the
further it gives us a bad name
we who are trying to maintain and
sustain
housing need to feel that we are doing
the right thing and this is what slick
is about you know education and and
teaching people how to do the right
thing we also feel that the contract
that you set up
this is a this is a contract between
tenant and landlord with rules and
regulations just like any other rental
contract okay the bottle for for that
should be in place and it's very basic
you have a product and you have a
company you are younger and you have a
your business and you have a customer
and the contract should be
and there's too much of not a you know
the honoring isn't there you go in a
part to it again and nothing happens
um things go okay maybe and then all of
a sudden there is no honoring of that
contract or there's no payment of the
rent or there's destruction of property
so then then it's obvious that needs to
be taken away if it were a car if it
were furniture that would be taken away
in the contract but it's different why
is it different
bargaining that bargaining power not
there anymore
so I'm being gay yeah that's a thing for
me oh okay well I have to honor that but
know that we are working very hard I say
that we small landlords who care are
working very hard and we are working the
city is working with us and we're
delighted with that CODIS working with
us
we are going to put something in place
that should make a difference and there
is that effort and I want you all to
take notice of that as it comes
we probably are going to get things
slowly I'm going to say goodbye
I'd like to ask you a question yes
um you mentioned about the task force is
this will tenants be a part of that too
so that you have no views or is this
task force just for landlords it will
start with landlords it has to do with
tests as well but landlords need to be
of the educated thinking educated and
they need to know you know not just
you're not just going into a business
you're going to be stipulations
you need to know starting with landlord
okay I just wanted to know if it's both
or where you're starting quickly thank
you
yes hello everyone I I am Mariano
president of the substrate Association
and I'm here to talk about
like absentee landlords like hesitate
because I have another word for them
because I didn't want to say that anyway
I believe
that
landlords should be registered as a
small business
this way the city can regulate what
they're doing
they should be licensed if they don't
follow the rules they should be shut
down
I know many tenants that are suffering
out there that their landlords are not
fixing their apartment that their
toilets don't work that their furnaces
don't but yet they're the ones that I
put out on this street this is so wrong and I believe it would be so
much easier for this city to go after
these absentee landlords in our
neighborhood we have
but I will set it again we have some bad
landlords that have destroyed our
neighborhood they didn't rented to
druggies to prostitutes we we've had
shooting they prostitute young ladies
and I have I take that Chris belief that
um
landlords are small businesses she has
she had set it on tape that landlord so
they should be regulated they should be
licensed so that the city can
that's fine
because our neighborhood is destroyed
because
and it's very disturbing to me and I
really really wish that the city would
pursue the small business the license
for the tenants thank you thank you
foreign
I faced many challenges as far as
housing
um
but
nowadays you know as an adult I have
been personally homeless since 2019 for
you know no particular reason other than
you know just the landlord no longer
wanting to continue lease you know I
paid right on time every month
there are so many issues going on so as
far as you know the apartments that are
being redeveloped and all the new
buildings I've been doing there have
been at least half a dozen buildings
made that you know about four of them
are anywhere from
900 to 14 to 600 a month for our studio
to one or two bedroom like those are
completely unaffordable and the two low
income housings uh buildings that they
just did are not even available to so
many people as there's a wait list that
goes back so many months and you have to
need so many qualifications you have to
have at least two times rent income you
know uh verification you know just
references and that's somebody who is
youth who has only had one apartment and
it wasn't the victim you know just when
my lease ended you know I was told I had
to leave for you know no particular
reason so climbing an apartment tent has
been very difficult you know does it
matter I could be making anywhere from
400 to 800 a week I can have at least
twice the amount for rent getting a
responsible language
something hard you know there are
language we just take applications and
you know try to do the application fee
and actually never respond they do not
pick up the phone do not answer the text
when you call you can call for a month
straight you know uh periodically you
know of course not harassing the
landlord you know trying to get a
response from a landlord you know the
whole years you know you can do at least
two to three Apartments a day you know
contacting landlords and you're lucky to
hear back from one or two by the end of
the week maybe even by the end of the
month
it is not just on tenants you know I
know there I've been people who abuse
the system I know uh people person who
get government benefits and you know lie
to the government and you know have the
rent fully paid and you know abuse the
system or you know there's tenant to
destroy property before they leave or
you have to be with the landlord and you
know those are then considered bad
tenants and you know they don't
personally or they shouldn't ruin it for
everyone involved you know it shouldn't
be an issue for you know someone else
trying to get into apartment like you
know you had one person who might have
had similar conditions to this person
when they originally move in or when
they started your application and they
start their enrollment fee and
your jobs are you know
discriminated discriminating against for
so many different reasons whether it be
your background how much money you make
if you have pets or not you know I
understand that you know a lot of places
do not accept pets either but you know
some people have service animals and
personally have a lot of disabilities so
I have a service animal I had a service
animal for almost eight years now so
when it comes to my service you know
getting an apartment or you know letting
a
you know it's going to go on both sides
as far as damage
and cannot even get a response government uh communist system
section eight you know there are people
who are 60 or you know who have been
Section 8 for at least 10 12 20 30 years
you know and have never left the system
you know they could be doing a part-time
job aside hustle you know we're sitting
there in government assistance I feel
like I should definitely be for the
have lower income people who are you you
know 18 to 24 you know 25 just getting
in their first apartment you know that
system should kind of be there to
support us and not you know when we go
into DSS we're told you know we either
make too much money by making 400 a week
or you know we don't make enough
qualifications to even receive any kind
of conversation
[Applause]
uh getting what you want
first I'd like to thank you for putting
on this town hall and giving everyone
this opportunity to speak to you all
about
cities
are important I hope that we do more of
these moving forward throughout 2023
give people absolutely coming tonight
voice their opinion on the issue of
concern
um
so costs have risen for everyone
um we've been through a pandemic that's
been this uh huge uh
employment in our city I know personal
stories like really both sides of issues
but in particular I'm I've seen
um rents kind of like the Moon that I'm
not understanding what's driving you
know the issue right I know we have
issues with inflation we definitely went
on the issues with wage increasing right
but I'm seeing properties called
Redstone properties that are like you're
I'm talking about 1400 1500 1300 in
communities that historically have been
uh maybe half of that right and these
increases have happened within the last
um last few years and it's concerning
it's a hardship onten it's across the
board across the city I think everyone
knows it we don't want uh as a city I'm
sure we don't want anyone harmed on the
rising costs we're not Property Owners
definitely not tenants however we need
to come up with a Solutions
right now finding
um a way forward that we can kind of
assist tenants uh assist property
managers with some of the costs that
like some of the things that they've
lost over the last couple years is
important right I like yeah I've heard
um an idea that you know property owners
are like businesses and unfortunately
for the Department owners you're in a
business or something that's violence of
people's lives right so it's going it's going to be a little bit different
than only maybe your mom and pops or a
car dealership it's it's your people
have to have a place to live right
um I've seen an article in the paper not
too long ago that talked about some
incentives that were happening a couple
years ago towards home ownership how
that had this great impact on the
community right um
specifically Community but it's also
about immigration and how at one time we
had all these dilapidated properties
that we we started a program that
allowed folks to get into homeownership
that's a huge benefit to people if those
opportunities there so thinking about a
program that made Gwinnett to bear I
think is really really important and
finding a way to use the article money
in a way that's effective in addressing
um I think are like really huge losses
in the last couple years for everybody
um I think it's important I don't know
exactly what that looks like today but
that's just I'm just wasting my opinion
based on the summer props on what I've
heard from some of the proper members in
here um this there isn't one side to this
issue there isn't just one bad actor it
isn't just the property owners like
there's extremes on both sides because I
think everyone is acknowledging that I
don't think you started off in that
place but I think everyone's gotten to
the play okay they're like we're
understanding like this is affecting
everybody and that a solution needs to
be comprehensive and comprehensive and
help everyone as much as possible
um I'm or any type of policy or
legislation or program that would do
that and I look forward to the city
council uh coming up with something that
addresses issue thank you
[Applause]
all right so first off I want to start
with the biggest issue being what about
those accessibility
it's Aubrey what about those on
disability they don't make that much a
month that amount that 1400 you want in
rent for a shoebox they don't make that
that's not what they get from daily
disabled where are we supposed to live
those slums that we don't have landlords
taking care of things we have improper
working functionings that normally
taking care of that either we're
supposed to live in lower poverty slums
with no landlords being dealt with
because that's where we can afford
in places that aren't even safe for us
to reside who's going to watch out for
that I mean I have a friend living in a
van right now with a cat who can't even
afford a hotel he can't afford a room
for rent he can't afford any of that
because the money to get into many
places too much he needs money to
survive every day just he can't put the
extra side to get a roof over his head
and now it's winter time and he's
literally living in a minivan with a cat
so what are these people on limited
incomes that are disabled and sick to no
choice no Faults of their own supposed
to do with these Rising costs we're all
about to be homeless
that's all I have to say
[Applause]
hi good evening thanks for having this
forum tonight my name is Lauren Connor
and I've lived in Schenectady 30 years I
moved here
um on a whim and I'm still here and I've
been owning property for the last 20
years I bought my first property from a
one that I rented from and one of the
things that she said to me is I always
want to make sure my properties that I
write to my tenants are places that I
would live and I feel that I have
followed that motto ever since in the
intervening years I've got to say I'm
probably doing something wrong because
I'm not getting fourteen hundred dollars
rent for apartments I'm not getting
thirteen hundred dollars rent I do have
a couple of disabled people who
whose rent is way below market value
because I know I can't raise it because
there is no other money and I'm the
person that's not going to kick them out
I have Section 8 tenants I have full pay
tenants and so my concern is
what about these people I think the
action that needs to be taken is that
there are people out there who are on
disability who don't have a lot of funds
why aren't they getting additional
support
um people have a right to affordable
housing but
a lease is a contract and as an owner
whether I'm paying a mortgage or taxes
or all the fees I'm responsible for that
property and I have a right to charge a
living not a living wage but a living a
rent that is reasonable for me to make a
few bucks beyond what I'm making to
Beyond paying taxes and property and Etc
et cetera
um
we live in Schenectady we're not getting
rich here so I don't need to be
sarcastic but if anybody thinks they're
going to get rich renting property in
Schenectady they're in the wrong place
um
anyway I just wanted to say that I I try
to be reasonable and my hope for the
city is that there will be Outreach to
tenants you know one lady who talked
about a couple people talked about being
evicted with 30 days notice New York
State implemented a 90-day notice right
so I don't understand why they don't
know that it has to be
I've been in a place for a period of
time it increases over time where's
their lack of Education
um so and that's basically all I had to
say I just um thanks for having this and
I know there's a lot going on here that
things are getting a little crazy with
red but we all have you know I have a
right to provide good housing to people
but I also have a right to
um not be taking advantage of
it
[Music]
[Applause]
hi good evening my name is
connected in New York from 2005.
to address the issue that you have which
is an opinion what are the challenges
let me tell yourself as a decent
landlord with property that is limitable
my challenge is 10 someone to pay rent a
lot of times
since the pandemic they feel that they
have a conditionary reason to just live
for free
and they do not use the police system we
hear all of this about bad landlords bad
landlords who they use code enforcement
they take off their smoke detectors
of the stone they do anything to stop
the pain there is no 30 days there is a
90 day anyone who owns a property that
makes it a LLC has to get a lawyer
because now you are a corporation which
puts you under a Temperance a totally
different tax brackets
and insurance Mercantile insurance
policy so whoever does that govern
yourself accordingly because you don't
own your property it is a third party
Provider by an LLC which is a limited
liability next on top of that as far as
a homeowner when we take these
properties that we try to transition
them for proper living conditions
there's a lot of situations we create
programs that build false reality yes
you get a house but you need a twenty
thousand dollar in the bank to show me
that food if you struggling if you have
that it's just so many things I'm not
doing it attendance I'm not going to
landlord I am bringing the system we
went all about years ago doing property
registration for non
but it didn't go because we stay on the
property we transition into a business
that's not occupying it goes away so
this is a build up a frustration for me
because I have tenants living in houses
that I can't get rid of even when they
have firearms even when they're creating
mold even when they're doing everything
nobody's sharing information it's like
the monetary agreement it's only for the
landlord when we talk about increase in
rent nobody's talking about decreasing
taxes you have to have a certain amount
of monetary flow to even survive is
connected into owner
the reason why it seems so simple is
because properties in Schenectady have
always been below market value of the
entire state
so people have this idea that they
should live closer to free than what's
happening to the landlord now taxes go
up to five thousand how can your rent
stay at 200
I mean you don't go into this to take
care of the tenant your goal is to have
a viable living we know this is not
Afflicted States or area because we have
too many other tax laws have been left
away so it has to be looked at in a
collaboration of what's the best thing
for the community for the tenant for the
landlord and for to perpetuate home
occupancy and whole ownership that's all
I gotta say
[Applause]
hi good evening uh bird acquires
um and uh pastoral virgin Memorial in
science church so I want to say
um first you know I've done a lot of
going to different houses visiting
members or visiting people in the
community and I can start walking with
the condition of some of the houses that
have been related I have a question of
how many inspectors we have that work
for the city that would go out to
inspect these houses I understand I've
been a landlord so I understand having
tenants that don't properly take care of
your you know your house and things like
that but some of the things that I have
seen are flat out like colonizations
like why is somebody living here no one
should be living here
um so some of the things I think may be
happening
um is that okay so it doesn't take much
for a landlord to know that they can
raise the right time if Section 8 is
giving you more money obviously the
rates are going to have gone up or you
look at what the
um the information that Health puts out
on I can go up on the rent because it's
going up on their numbers I can go up
online however
um and and the cost of rent has gone up
nationally by 13
um but I would say that Schenectady is
not Brooklyn you know not Harlem okay
people are not making that kind of money
around here the uh council president
mentioned the other night the media uh
income in this city so rates have gone
up the salaries have not and so people
eventually are going to get pushed out
of their house and I've had that happen
to some of my members already they can't
afford the new possibility that is
coming okay so
um so that's one piece so the other part
is um
can the city get any kind of incentive
like I know you guys can't do anything
about what HUD is saying or what section
8 is saying about what Rick costs should
be I guess outside of your you know uh
Authority but maybe incentives for
landlords uh who do keep their property
or I I don't know you know I'll leave
that to y'all but but I think that if
that was happening then it kind of would
balance things out a little bit and then
the last thing I want to tell you is
about a member of my church who actually
lives in Virginia right now okay she was
asked by her landlord to move he said
I'm I'm losing a family member in went
over there without us open her pack age
was a family member she could not find a
place that Schenectady she could afford
she ended up moving with family to
Virginia I went by the house a couple
weeks later there was a for rent sign in
the window
so he was not moving a family member and
he probably just wanted to raise the
rate and didn't wanted to do to do with
the poor Dark Soul who had been in my
house for the last 15 years
so I think things like that are
happening where people are being pushed
out and I don't want to see that happen
I've been here for four years now
pastoring I've been connected is cool
you know nice people and everything but
I'm watching this happen to uh the
people that I serve in my congregation
and in the community where their rents
are going up but their salary was just
staying the same
foreign
from one end of the spectrum to the
other
the problem that I think that we have as
a community
um is that you know many years ago a
group of landlords knew owners came in
and they you know improved the property
but then they started increasing the
rents
um you know I own I only five pieces of
property Here in Schenectady one piece
is in Bellevue and my tenants I have a
two family and two uh two family two
bedrooms each I'm getting 900 each and I
just went up for the first time last
year so my tenants are asking what are
you going to go up on the rent I said no
because as anybody here indicated that
the income hadn't gone up but there's
people that came into our community I
made sure to tell you that I've been a
landlord in Schenectady for 30 years
some people are very new to our
community and I'm talking about in the
last five to ten years and even maybe
not even that long as a result they
changed the face of our landscape
as a landlord I think we need vertical
caps I think we need the whole landlord
responsible to make sure that the
property is of the cold and livable but
I also think that the tenants have to
pay the rent all those excuses about all
you know the income being changed or the
social worker so I know disability to
change regardless of what happened
so it was on fixed income you didn't
lose a month and some of y'all allow
money because it some people got the
unemployment and extra 600 and all that
so that whole gamut that Society put out
there awareness and then not to pay
their bills was the wrong thing to do
and now we're here people so we all have
to be responsible here and our system
our elected officials y'all have put
some breaks on some of these rental cap
these words because you got landmarks
that are Charter 1300 or 1400 for
something that these people cannot pay
more than a thousand or nine hundred
dollars
HUD image they're increasing the
allotment only in certain communities
and only for certain people as a social
worker I did own business and I used to
say you know what I used to call mental
housing Mr Harmony
why don't let this go you got people
with the ceilings falling down and
whatever and you're coming to check for
them
so we do need some Watchdogs out here
people and if that's not a good word but
that's what I'm saying we need our code
enforcement to do what they got to do so
that people can live decently but we've
got to put a cap on these rights and
then also for some of the homeowners
please give them a little uh yeah which
used to be a ship program Schenectady
Home Improvement program for landlords
for owners who are also struggled
because you guys can handle it to the
show so this is a big problem for
everybody that will be accountable and I
just wanted to thank you guys for your
time
foreign
[Music]
this is
hi uh Brennan Savage I just wanted to
make the comment that sometimes I'm not
a landlord I'm a homeowner but we also
have to be cautious about whatever
regulations uh or if there's something
you can suggested rent to cash or rent
control if that's put in we also might
risk putting Schenectady at a
disadvantage because
one thing is the proven way to make your
renter stabilized is to make sure that
the number of units in a city keeps up
with the demand housing and so if
there's been studies that were have been
done that say that if a city puts in
rent control they sometimes become less
uh desirable to developers both large
and small who might like to build new
housing here and because
of unintended consequences those number
of units do not increase
and then when the number of units don't
increase to keep up with the demand of
housing then you result in higher
Enterprises so I hope the city council
doesn't rush into anything without
looking at what other possible
unintended consequences that there might
be uh and you know I know there's
probably just a philosophical
disagreement to some people
on what the role of valuation should be
if you're a person who owns a two-family
home
um and you live in one and you rent out
one unit to the other person is it
really the role of the government to say
what you should be charging for rent
um some people might say yes I
personally say no but
I I would just hope that the city
council doesn't rush into anything
that might happen if you will to create
some regulations such as rent control
[Applause]
I'm a realtor I can tell you that there
are lots of landlords in the city of
Schenectady they are very very concerned
on one hand they are not able to collect
the rent and they cannot even afford to
fix some feminists exam by certain
tenants not some courses we don't have
lots of good tenants and so in that
situation they they want to sell and or
they couldn't even maintain the property
in the principal condition
so that in turn is going to impact the
community and the surrounding houses
that's number one regarding to existing
to some existing networks and they want
to sell that's why on the other hand
when I I also felt because singer
returned ourselves to investors in the
capital region I try to bring them to
Schenectady okay hopefully they can
purchase
property needs to activate providing
more rental units so we can inject
application or make it better conditions
properly but I cannot convince them even
though I run the numbers I show them
it's connected the property value is
lower I try to entice them for the money
you invest in Albany you can potentially
buy more property is expected but they
set you know just because first of all
they concerned about the condition you
know rentability condition and they also
said if there's a rent control I
couldn't even make enough money how can
I improve my property so I just want to
share those information to the council
so hopefully help the council to get
information
the information
thank you
[Applause]
um
[Music]
and regarding of controlling rent
um
I don't see why should Landmark any
consequence for you know civilizing the
rent because
um during the coffee
we had a few years
you know with telling the landmark but
watch like that go through and the
damages
um
and the damages what caused everything
in the store from Home Depot to Lowe's
everything right
and I don't see why the city of senatory
should involve in
um stabilize rent when the cost of
everything gone up taxes goes up uh the
insurance homeowner insurance they raise
it and for certain little cars they
can't raise insurance and you cannot
find affordable insurance so
comparing in other parts in New York
it's not happening
Holdings correctly and we are not
getting any help even from the city
because we have a hidden taxes and
plenty of us don't know about it
like if you want to put a window you
have to get a permit to put it
if the tenant break anything there shift
up whatever you have to get a permit and
every item that you put here you have to
get a permit or you can charge 500 if
the city comes and stop you from working
so all this money that adding to the
landline expense is not confident
so
I don't know I came here 2003 and what I
saw in this connection in 2003 it was I
would say it was very bad condition and
as I live and I see it improve a lot and
this is what the city is doing it's
gonna drive everybody who wants to come
here and to be here from the city and
it's going to be like back in the days
15 years ago thank you
foreign
I get to hear
um a lot of
uh conversations from both landlords and
tenants and um so in looking at the
questions that were posed to us and
listen to the comments that have come
across the room
um I was slightly confused because it
seemed like we interchanged the word
stabilization with control
and if we're looking at a possible
solution that we might be looking at
stabilizing rent versus controlling
um records the other thing was that
people mentioned maybe this is when we
turn the floor back over to you is
um that maybe as as you represent the
city you can talk about where the taxes
have been because being home over here
and also being a tax landlord I'm trying
to figure out where the taxes have and
how much the taxes have put increased I
know I'm accounting that I'm going to
spend flat and I think on the city and I
had to get some clarification on this
that the percentage that went up or down
um have been fairly low so maybe if we
can have those kinds of facts so that
when people keep putting up taxes I'm
not sure what taxes are going up are
they in the city and so if you walk in
education on that that would be great
and then if possibly when we're falling
into Power the word rent stabilization
and rent control then um
that we bring a focus on what it is that
may be a possible solution then we'll be
strong on
the owners
um into thinking that we're trying to
control it as possible
um finally I just say that you know it's
good to have these kinds of forms forums
and I work in public relations before we
have lots of forms that we listened we
had listened forums and listened to
people when there were already things
that were in place that was already
outside of the purview of the group that
was system they were already done deals
and so that whatever the recommendations
whatever the considerations that you all
put forth is that they have everybody's
voice involved I I appreciate the task
force that you were talking about and
I'm glad that the council president
um mayor who said that asked the
question whether or not to pretend it's
involved in the conversation so part of
my job is also to build coalitions and
then those coalitions we bring everybody
these boys to the table so that you get
all sides of the of the equation before
coming up with the solution and thank
you for your time
[Applause]
so um
good evening my name is
Schenectady for 27 and a half years
I just want to urge the city council in
the city of Schenectady to
strongly support homeownership
opportunities for people
um often holding a mortgage is less than
paying rent I pay under 900 a month for
my mortgage I don't think that I could
afford a 1400 rent to be honest so I do
hope that the the city will fund down
payment assistance that you'll find
homeownership Opportunities
um work closely with the homeownership
programs in the city A Better Community
neighborhoods to help people understand
how to become homeowners successfully I
think a lot of people feel like they
can't become homeowners and don't
understand that they are able to become
homeowners you don't need 20 percent
down payment in order to be a homeowner
there's there are a lot of programs out
there that will take us as little as
three percent and the other thing is um
uh Section 8 actually does allow for the
opportunity for somebody who holds a
certificate to become a homeowner using
uh their Section 8 homeownership uh
voucher and the municipal Housing
Authority does have to decide each year
how many of their certificates are going
to allow to be used for home ownership
and it is a pretty long process usually
for people who are in public housing to
get to the point where they're ready to
be a homeowner and so that would be
another place to work really closely
with Better Community neighborhoods
thank you
hello it's me again is I like to
piggyback on the latest comment
regarding to home ownership and first of
all again I'm a realtor and representing
people to buy or sell in the capital
region so what I have to do is plan
YouTube is I did a little research
especially regarding to U.S census data
I shared with steel council members so
in the compared to city of Albany and
city of Schenectady
[Music]
versus the city of Albany only 37 so
there's eight percent city of
Schenectady leading home ownership by
eight percent so and I would like to say
is progress to men and his home
ownership program
and if we can comfortable can come up
with better Solutions or policy will
help a city citizens in Schenectady to
obtain more homeowner ownership than
will actually decrease the demand of
Iran vendors that will also help to
achieve the rights too
so a couple of things and actually
recently based on my discussion and was
some of the individuals and also
encounters with some homeowner buyers I
thought chooses potentially you know the
council can look at number one currently
in our property as a homeowner or
landlord where you own the property in
the city of Schenectady you could have
you get property tax bill in the
property tax bill if you take detailed
look it's not just property tax at all
it also added sewer and water and also
trash belt and yes we do know as home
owner we should pay them and there's no
doubt about it however when you add all
those fees in the tax bill when people
wanted to purchase a house sometimes
actually jeopardizing their opportunity
to get along why because lenders look at
paxville but they don't don't look at
the detail text belt to them from Naked
Eyes is kept liability they look at the
lump sum of everything
so if the city can split what is pure
property tax
which including water which includes
sewer and trash that will help potential
homeowners to secure finances
at low cost to say except a potentially
another postage that's all
[Applause]
good evening everyone my name is Nikita
Hardy
um I am the affirmative action manager
for the county of Schenectady I'm also
commissioner on the Human Rights
Commission and president of the report
for the YWCA of Northeastern New York
just wanted to point a couple things out
um when I heard about this forum I was
happy to hear that it was coming to play
I'm happy to see that we have various
voices in this room I'm from Brooklyn
I've been in this area now for seven
years
um and when I first came here and I
started seeing a lot of the activity
that was happening over the far too
familiar and over the last few years the
pandemic
surprisingly but not too surprisingly
set it up you've seen so much
development here at Schenectady
just Envision that
um but what I don't see is
um postings of affordable housing units
in these developments
um it begs to question the funding
sources and whether there was any
federal funding or city county Etc if
there are requirements for such it's not
being highly advertised and even then
those processes tend to be cumbersome as
we heard from the person who spoke
earlier today in Orange thank you
um but we need to look at this as a
holistic approach it seems like we're
having this conversation
um survival versus thriving
um and yes our perspectives and lived
experiences are different we're all
fighting each other in a fight that
didn't start
so I wanted to sit back look at the
bigger picture not just to now but even
the future because if it's like this now
how's it going to be people are being
priced out of their homes not just the
tenants who are living there but the
landlords are looking to
um how the pieces connected and those
that are that it's working for are not
the people
so um on the second hand at the YWCA
we have people who are looking for
houses we have funding to pay for rent
we have a list long that's approved for
people to go into housing with their
children
but landlords are not letting them in
they're not even considerable
we have to think about what it is that
we're doing
and look at the effects and yes we have
those key terms about rental control and
Rental stabilization all these big words
but I think we need to look at the
people that's what we need to look at
um I think I got all of that what I hear
a lot is an Envy we called it then dance
real fun not in my backyard nobody wants
them in their backyards everywhere
where are we putting people these are
people yeah that's it thank you for everything tonight
um I just want to answer by highlighting
one thing before we continue mine in
this room this is what community looks
like and we are actively engaging in a
collective conversation that's been very
solution based and though initially you
know some there might have been some you
know inclinations that it was this
conversation was going to be landlord
first tenant and what the condition that
we as a community are created in this
space we've been able to hear that
there's a lot more and common interests
right you hear um tenants saying like
you know I want to be someplace to say
back and forth and landlord was saying
as a landlord I would love to have
lieutenant and my house for all a long
period of time that I can trust that
honor that took care of my property so I
just want to kind of highlight that uh
of reporting before that I appreciate
everyone speaking in the right Spirit um
Captain Adventure Time we look forward
to hearing what you want to say I do
want to just pass the microphone on to a
consummate motivating because he wanted
to address on uh the gentleman's
question about taxes
thank you just on the taxes and then
we'll hand it over back to the speaker
over the last six years we have reduced
taxes by over eight percent so I want to
highlight that as one of the concerns
talk about it it's not much but at least
we are moving in the right direction to
help absolutely uh we need to look at it
as we move forward in the years to come
I'm also there is no increase in the
taxes going in 2023 just um some fees
[Music]
[Applause]
my name is
[Music]
over 52 millimeter channels on YouTube
right stabilization
that Civilization is built into 1947 and
1974.
it applies to communities that uh have
advocacy rates at less than five percent
and also apply Solutions assess overall
apartments only 182 cities Across
America have right civilization
32 states and options for visiting red
stabilization
Maryland Maryland California New York
and New Jersey
[Music]
or not
earlier this year in June at a city
council committee being some comments
were made by members of the city council
one was that cast stability that leads
to housing stability
there are so many other expenses that
housing providers have that tax
taxability to taught me lean to houses
stability
another one mentioned that no one will
send your eyes landlords to accept rent
stabilization
there is no business or entrepreneur
anywhere understand it or any planet
that will support any government
initiative to suppress what they charge
from the goods and services they provide
and that result between market economy
will do
there's also stated that a hundred
dollar written increase leads to nine
percent in homelessness
now why have not all the other providers
are votes and services
who's praising her body out for every
American family had not been called on
the trumpets as much as housing for
violence one of them no discussions with
them or initiatives to study what
they're in charge or they provide to
stay activities and other Americans rent
controllers
then it's how much will be charged for
an apartment on Broadway and also much
instructions and evictions
outside of New York City the next
intervention of community or Housing and
Community Renewal will determine how
much an area is around only one in three
women who can do that one that they are
strong in hardship to the Department of
Housing or Community Law who won the
owner saw as a major Capital Equipment
to the building he or she now you can
ask Matt's apartment for rent increase
or seek by landlord receives a rented in
consent from the tenant to increase the
rent
rental civilization will find many
attendants not to roughness to his eye
as with these and other laws the house
of simple and turn the protection act of
which whatevers are not allowed to check
any adventures in public or private to
see if that respect Lieutenant has been
evicted we also mentioned the Iraq
emergency rental assistance program
which has no money but tenants can apply
and you're closing application remains
open the tenant cannot be invented
and good cause conviction that is a shot
down in Nassau and in the city of Albany
it has been trying four times in the
state of monogamous for shot down every
time and Continental extension of
housing providers Council providers up
here very pragmatic in plants and tennis
and has been as enhance become very
tedious
parsley and I like it we will
undesirable or non-paying tense the
internet increases in rent no more
government tries to solve housing issues
the more they create by smitten it
harder and a good artists and Hardware
returns to find a safe and affordable
housing that many of you and others are
seeking thank you
[Applause]
hi my name is Tom Kerry muscata United
neighborhoods for a coalition of 13
neighborhood associations across the
city uh and uh first I want to encourage
the city and the council to continue
to code of proportion in this very
important issue in all of our
neighborhoods and we feel that more
needs to be invested in that and we need
more serious code enforcement
program on part of the city but I came
up here I wasn't going to speak I came
to listen but it occurred to me that
there is one solution and one one
important component of this it hasn't
come up so I thought I imagine it and
that's energy costs which is driving a
lot of of these issues is driving
increases in landlord
costs it and certainly makes housing
less affordable for tenants and there
are solutions available to the city to
landlord to enter tenants I work for the
division of Housing and Community
Renewal for many many years we'll say
and I during uh most of that time I was
fortunate to direct the state's
weatherization assistance program
currently
that great program it provides
uh
ins it provides interventions in housing
that uh yeah simple things like
insulation air sealing uh and other
measures that can really dramatically
reduce the cost of energy and you know
make housing more affordable and uh it's
a good investment on the part of
landlords too the properties it's it's
only available to lower income uh
households but it's available to rent
our own properties and homeownership
owned properties it's administered in
Schenectady by
um
yeah not by staff but by the Community
Action Agency I'm sorry I don't recall
their name right now there used to be
Saratoga EOC they've changed their name
but it's available the federal
government uh has increased funding for
it and I um would expect there there is
a lot of funding available so there's
also other uh energy related uh work
that the the city uh should be
encouraging and other opportunities and
I just want to put that in the
conversation uh it's very important of
course it ties in with our climate
change goals as well and uh I just
thought that needed to be said Thank you very much
[Applause]
everything
hi my name is
a couple more minutes because the
comments that I've heard
um
see we not
we're not the social service the
landlord we're not the social service
department we're not obligated
to listen to the 10 financial problems
or his his income of six hundred dollars
a month and try to work with them and have a stronger the homelessness let
some government agency do that to you
okay we go to court and then we deal
with the social service representative
there and Donna and she tells us that
you're a landlord you know the social
service department okay I appreciate it
if you could adjust uh oh the piano
please sir thank you
okay thank you
Edition housing is not our
government responsibility so the
government
can we if if people are at the game that
we become business owners and register
as business owners
nobody gets into business to lose money
nobody wants to lose money if I'm losing
money year after year I'm gonna either
run out of business or actually
volatility need that kind of business so
the government should take more active
roles shouldn't should you should you
difficult and raise money to build more
if there's there's shortage and
Schenectady or housing unit you should
build additional housing here okay you
should alleviate the problem of you know
demolition of all these housing unit
that or houses the good houses that were
demolished that reduce the number of
houses you should work on Solutions of
providing additional funds for people
who don't have enough funds it's not the
responsibility of the landlords in
addition to the comment that you know
councilman motor be are made about taxes
you know taxes might not have been
increased but there are hidden taxes
just like Chromeo has mentioned a minute
ago there are hidden tasks there are
fees everywhere there's inspection fee
there is three inspection fee there are
fees for permit if if you have to
replace the sheetrock there is a
parameter the other roof there is a
permanent fee there for uh for uh
Plumbing there's a permit fee for
electricity electricity
there are administrative fee every time
a cold officer goes to your house you
charge you fifty dollars and if he goes
against you another fifty dollars and
then if he gives you a penalty it
quadruples and even in the code it has
five times the effect during the during
the pandemic I went to court once
because one tenant refused to pay the
rent and then she waits to complaining
to code and then when I went there with
it when I find that was a hundred
dollars multiplying every day when I
wanted by the time I went to court the
client was about five thousand dollars
so these are all additional costs to
landlords again because of the limited
supply for permit in the city it's not
really the landlord's issue you guys
should work on increasing the number of
random units and if the number of number
of rental units increase in the city of
course the rent is going to be
stabilized the rent will be decreased
it's not really the responsibility of
the landlord that's all I wanted to say
for now thank you
foreign
first of all I want to thank the folks
who shared because it takes courage to
share your story from your perspective
um
I think it's very important that we do
remember that housing
is a basic human need
and relax the end
of the conversation to some degree
there is not one of us that would live
if we didn't have somewhere to live and
so yes it is a collective
Community problem
it is also a collective
Community
responsibility to find a solution
and I think
we can't ask
the government
to not expect right to be raised
if we're saying you have to be the ones
that solve it
so if we're saying you have to solve it
and then say but don't raise rent well
we're we're a little bit backwards there
I think it's important that we
understand it is for us as a community
to really think through what we need to
do
to ultimately come together
hold ourselves and each other as a
community accountable and we have some
easy
we have to be willing to put in the hard
work be willing to take the time for
each other be willing to come together
as a community because not one of us can
truly survive without another one of us
at the end of the day you can say oh I
can
but then when something happens
unexpected in your life and you're out
there alone
and you do need someone gosh I'm sure
you'll hope that someone's there for you
I encourage us to truly
understand there is a housing crisis it
is so real
there are so many whether you're a young
person starting out and you're just
making minimum wage and can't afford
rent
for that reason but to Daniel's Point
are making just enough to not qualify
for any Supportive Services
or
you're experiencing a financial hardship
or you have
more than one child and you're trying to
figure out how to pay for child care or
you're on disability there are so many
reasons why housing right now is a
challenge
I am not saying that there aren't also
challenges for landlords feeling like
they have
tenants who are taking ownership of the
home that they own
there are also so many homes I walked
into that my young people are paying
ridiculous amounts of money for that are
falling apart it is so real and it's not
acceptable that we're accepting
something with Gabriel
problem
one quick fun fact for someone else came
up twice so I couldn't help myself
despite the importance of rental
assistance more federal dollars go to
home ownership subsidiaries like the
mortgage interest rate instead of
families that struggle the most to
afford housing so the federal government
does a lot for money that goes to home
ownership while 23.4 million low-income
American renters pay more than half
their income for housing and most don't
receive rental assistance due to funding
limitations there is not a lack of
precedent for helping individuals have
holes because homes and land were given
away by the federal government to
individuals very specific individuals
while denying the formally enslaved
African to any land whatsoever and
telling them to put them also possible
stress but giving acres and land and
property to those white individuals so
yes there is precedent for giving to
those that are in need including the
fact that the federal government still
right now gives countless rebates and
incentives to homeowners that we do not
also see for our low-income families
that are struggling every single day
thank you
[Applause]
who hasn't had the opportunity to speak
thus far
um so we want to do that and I also want
to make sure you know there were some um
famous the city council members around
you know but is in our wheelhouse and I
think that I I do speak for
um for all the medical city council that
we are community members as well so even
when there is a solution that might not
be within our warehouse really in our
authority to change
um we still feel the obligation to
Advocate and talk to the people who are
in those decision making scenes and
represent your voice as well so I think
that that's that's important that we
recognize that this that there's this is
a room of solutions and and not really
problems please
foreign
two family home in Schenectady for over
40 years
um I won't
I am so upset about everything that's
happened the last couple years in so
many ways at one point with one two
family home I was old over twenty four
thousand dollars in rent I'm still owed
over five thousand dollars in rent I
forgave over twelve thousand dollars in
rent over the past so many years this
and and my heart goes out to people my
heart is going out into this woman who
has one child but what what
um I don't I don't know what he's doing
anymore I don't know what to do okay I
mean I've talked with lawyers I've
worked with
um one incident the the lieutenant
downstairs would not let me in the house
to replace a broken window because she
owed so much rent that she was afraid I
was going to lock her house I called the
county and they said I could I couldn't
go in and call the city and they said I
could go in or vice versa and and
finally I wound up giving her newspaper
and tape because she would not let me in
to replace a broken window when it was
winter
um I don't have Solutions but I will say
a big part of this is also due to
construction costs and
um for the person that is keeping up
with their home was forty five hundred
dollars this year for me to replace the
sewer line I had to spend six thousand
dollars for for dampness and mold
remediation in the Attic in the basement
there's an issue with my chimney there's
windows that need to be replaced in the
home that are 40 years old I've been
gradually China's place two or three at
a time
but there's
you know there's a basic cost and even
if there is not a mortgage involved
there's basic costs my another landlord
I don't just
26 000 to paint for lead remediation
it's something that I could have done
myself for nothing but because it's
leather mediation and and we weren't
sure if we were doing it right that um
twenty six thousand dollars she could
have had her old house painted she could
have had all the woodwork and the trim
worked out of the apartment and put new
trim up for that price so I think that
um
repairs are major things I also replace
the
a furnace and a hot water tank in the
last couple years and and it's like I
had to get loans I had to borrow money
to do that to take care of my one rental
property trying to help these women that
are in dire need
but can't do it anymore I can't do it
anymore
especially when they're not cooperating
um there was
um a program working
throughout the country where certain
cities were mandating
[Music]
contractors for every 10 homes that they
built that there would be one home for
low income
for every 10 Apartments there would be
one apartment designated for low income
and there were some glitches with that
program but I think it showed some
success and I don't think that would be
a bad thing for the inner city it can't
be used in the suburbs because of
Transportation
but that's that might be something to
look into too and we need the county
involved because it's
County Social Service Department that's
helping so I don't know where they are
today but
you can't do this without the county
that's my two cents in Russian County
representation thank you
[Applause]
for our youngest Seeker could we please
give her a little round of applause
[Music]
[Applause]
thank you
hi my name is Samantha and I just want
to say a few things
um but I want to say is that when I go
private
and under the car I see a lot of people
that are walking along with sides and
yeah
they don't have a house to live in
[Music]
[Applause]
right good evening city council my name
is John Howard I'm a lifelong resident
of Schenectady I'm also a homeowner and
a landlord
um my grandparents a library has just
connected me in the 60s based on a lot
of things a lot of things did to work
for GE
so what we know is that a city generates
its revenues from its tax base so when
GE took a lot of these jobs out a lot of
the owner occupy housing
so now we're in a situation where we
don't have that employer we don't have
those wages we can't Levy any more taxes
on the existing residents that own
properties what can we do over the wakes
of greens and employer that's going to
employ a lot more people that way
including a bigger tax base maybe that's
part of a solution
thank you
[Applause]
all right that's why I was one last
thing
um I think that is important for our
sitting home properties that there's a
focus on residents that we're not
selling a bunch of our city-owned
Apartments people that don't live here I
think that only exacerate the problem I
think giving opportunities for
first-time homeowners and folks that
live in our city is important because
like change some of that damages
foreign
[Music]
because I couldn't just asked a question
while sitting there my
to be honest it's just a little
discovered he was sitting here because
I've been working in the field doing
community service work
um mainly case management emergency
assistance and it's really tiring to
keep answering phones talking to people
working with people from different ages
all different places different
situations working class
um before covert during covert after
Kobe and it's just I'm sitting here and
I'm thinking what's the point
like what is the what is actually going
to happen after everyone stands up and
it's like this is my issue we hear the
landlord's side you hear the landlord's
side that really just they're trying to
make a living so I'm trying to come up
in life some just have a good heart and
we want to not see people live out in
the street so you have different types
that are being represented on both sides
but then where do we go from here
because
I have a new job now which I guess I've
made everything should I mentioned I
don't know
I have a new job now as a Crisis
Prevention and intervention coordinator
and the thing that I that some people in
our field are holding our breath forward
is the moment where no one has no
anywhere to go and like Rebecca said
it's me
and I'm sorry to everyone that is a
landlord because I I want to be a
landlord but let me tell you the heart
that I had and I hope that God grant me
this witch because I got tired of seeing
people charged so much for rent in areas
that can't afford it when I was younger
and I saw these buildings come up across
the street from the projects that I grew
up in my mother told me they have to
have a percentage of people that can
live there that represent the community
that have the money that's actually of
representing the people that live there
no matter what they charge there's a
percentage that that building has to go
to the people in the community
it sounds like that may not be a thing
here based off of something that a
person would say I thought that was just
basic protocol so that would be a good
idea but at the end of the day here's
the problem
what are we going to do when we have all
these people in the street the next
thing is going to be I don't want all
these homeless people sitting in front
of my building bringing down a value of
my property then it's going to be my
problem if I'm a landlord because now
you've got my property looking a hot
mess and I'll be back at the law
enforcement trying to find somewhere for
them already full so what are we going
to do
I don't know about anyone else but I
have I have a I have a heart and
understanding that it has to be
something that I have to do my father
commands it I have a certain
mandate on my life to understand that I
can't just sit here and watch it happen
and I have no idea what to do
but there's seven people sitting in this
room with way more power than I have
that I'm aware of at this time of my
life but you literally have the power of
what you're gonna do about it because
like she said when that time comes when
it's your family your family your family
because it will come when the class
system starts changing and middle class
start looking like poor and the rich
start looking like middle class then we
all gotta understand real quick but what
can we do before we get to that point is
what I'm trying to understand because in
my time right now I don't see the answer
I see everyone trying to figure it out
so people have compassion it seems like
and some people are just trying to
survive and I can't blame you for it but
I can't see right back on somebody
else's neck to survive
we already got slapped in the face with
hoping
you think that's it
open the book and we'll see that there's
more to come and I don't mean to make
this a religious thing but I stand on my
beliefs open this book and you will see
that there is more to come open the book
and we see that there's more to come
[Applause]
my name is
Schenectady
I wasn't going to say something but it
seems
crazy guy we're sitting here talking
about homelessness
has numerous numerous abandoned
buildings
me personally I don't buy unless they
fall over there and I got a lot of
properties on Hamilton Hill
and
I totally rehab I mean I don't mind if
you're not falling down so with the city
had a missing collection property
and we're talking about rain control the
city gets back to getting these houses
away cheap yeah you may put the 60 to 70
000 hours into the house and I only had
three ninety thousand into the house
it's easier to go that way to put the
right control not rent control but I
think differential with certain things
but again I don't mind unless they form
a damage that means everything's going
in this house everything's energy
efficient everything
put permits basically and if you have a
track record you should be somebody that
they should cater to in all my
properties you know what I'm from but I
can't believe jumped over roofs I'm an
investor in the community but it's no
help for me
and I honestly the Republic I have one
problem I had I had eight rings I had
one problem
and I don't have I don't have the
problems most people have because I have
some weird name on the rent I had
somewhere that didn't want to live it
might not be on the best spot right now
but it might be the best house or next
to one of the best houses and people are
taking pride in the things that I'm
looking
[Applause]
one of the
SE other city council members for your
opportunities
good evening ladies and gentlemen on
Earth council members my name is
I'm an attorney in Schenectady I'm not a
fancy lawyer and I'm a small guy here in
town trying to survive and I'm also
workers
University and you can probably hear my
foreign accentuation from Romania and I
came here and started 20 years ago just
because
uh I try to escape from a communism of
concentration camp
and I'm serious when I'm saying this
because there in a company era
everything was controlled by the state
what to say what you do what you can buy
and what you can do with your own thing
so I have to say that when I came here I
came with high goals and aspirations and
I see that more and more of these
countries going to to take an approach
the communism approach
towards all these things where uh
staying is more and more involved in
people's life and trying to control
their lives so this length civilization
is a form of controlling our life
because they can impose uh uh uh on on a
landlords uh uh what to do with their
own properties it's like they have your
own car and the state is giving you
portion of your yes and then but it's
telling you no you cannot take the
shortest route you have to take this
route because that's why we came for
obviously and that's another way that
could work you know in an open-free
Society the the offer and the demand
should meet the some elements and that's
why it here is honored
Town board would attract some funds and
build a more football housing which create a competition for the small
landlords that will create a free market
a free offer and demand it's the demand
for housing okay a city builds their own
housing cheap housing okay we offer to
this 104 to live in any other place I
can tell you I came here United States
with two thousand dollars in two
suitcases and I did not take any and I
did not receive any kind of support from
any kind of governmental agency and I
take pride in that because I work hard
to put time jobs and when the law school
and after that I took uh of course my
pay rent I paid rent and after that I
took an FHA loan and I purchased my own
house then I work continue to working
struggling again I was not a rich guy
and this is how I bought my house so
I believe that the state should
encourage people to take pride in their
only work and get a loan to take
responsibilities like ownership if they
choose so if not they have the
alternative option to live in a housing
provided by the state and and like I
said I I think most of both sides of the
eye I work for landlords I work right
now from England but before I work for
tenants so I know that uh to to be a
kind of balance the state should not
intervene in the middle and I have to
say that after 2019 when the state could
have time on the scale in favor of the
tenants and made all these uh eviction
process marketing for customers the
landlords had to do something and had to cover for the costs and that's why we
have here is unbalanced because again
politicians needled in this kind of
businesses and creating this
inequity I can say so uh like I said
it's it's not good what is happening and
uh I hope that uh the the house this
Council main board will not go forward
this intent to do the and stabilization
and thank you so much for your time
thank you
without saying
one of the things
council members to address anything that
they like to do so and then we'll be
wrapping up thank you don't forget to
sign in on your way out okay my name is
Janice one of the things that we have to
be clear is that when you talk about
inequities
black and brown popes to this country in
Schenectady and everywhere we have been
at the bottom okay now you see that we
have a council that's very diverse for
the first time in the history of
Schenectady
give us a hand give them ahead
[Applause]
we want them Representatives
it's time that you know these kind of
policies and these issues they're
drastically affecting people that look
like me
so I might be one that happened to have
a few properties maybe there's a few of
us but the masses of us are being
affected by this inequities that is
talked about we all don't get the same
privileges people
the Privileges that come to this side
don't look like the same prisoners on
this side so we got to recognize that
and we got to talk about equity
and understanding that we all have the
right to fair and equal and affordable
housing and decent housing not just
those that look like this for all of us
because we're one people and so that's
what I want you all to understand
because as we look at all of these
policies and our lawmakers are going to
hopefully enact some policy you got to
understand that there's a group of
people that are most effective and those
people are people that look like me
so thank you and let's keep that at the
Forefront because that's real and it
hasn't changed in America yet so it
ended up you know all of us got to be on
that page thank you thank you
[Applause]
um
thank you
so I know that this is the first step
and this is a beautiful site as it's
been identified a lot throughout this
evening this
present that's in his room is very very
diverse and well representable with the
city is Matthew looks like there are
multiple different aspects of how this
conversation of housing affects each and
every one of us where you currently sit
and our experiences are backed so the
one thing that we've heard throughout
these dialogues is this a complicated
conversation that cannot be
totally born by us at the city council
and that's why it's important to hear
your feedback to hear your input so I
know there was a young woman spoke and
said what next so what next is that our
next 21 on the 5th of December the one
on the 19th it is your responsibilities
remain engaged and keep us focused on
making sure this is not a one-off
conversation because that does not
affect anyone
what it does not mean to any long-term
change in the community and I can
promise you we are not setting deal with
the intent of just paying web service as
councilman early so frequently says so
I'm excited to be the first one because
I want to make sure we take an
opportunity to highlight where we are
I'm going to put the spotlight on a
shame Barbie I know he has an elevator
pitch but this is a beautiful resource
that we have in the city of Schenectady
this Boys and Girls Club is a
magnanimous facility that provides so
many resources to a lot of different uh families and is still
providing resources tonight but your
serving dinners are walking in so I
don't know if you would like to take the
opportunity I don't know how many people
are aware of how these resource
functions and
some areas that we don't always
recognize but
just welcome
site open
in anywhere 2020 but this is the only
thing we have sites all over we have one
Six Flags That Way Mount Pleasant an old
church Hall
we're in public housing we
've got site in Rotterdam we're going to be very soon we're
already in six schools we're gonna need
10 in the next month or so so we're all
over the place if you have
families that are in need of some
services
after school services in particular
let me see this but yeah this is a 40
000 square footage
10 million dollar facility um
we are and what prevention several times
like the city of Schenectady
made it very easy for us to take a
Park where the trees were falling down
things
allowed us to drop this in where we have
hundreds of kids here every day
theater
here as soon as we all get up and leave
I have to tear it down and put up
another configuration for another group
that's coming in here tomorrow morning
at 8am Tuesday we are always letting
outside groups use the facility um
this is a special occasion we try not to
mingle adults with the kids in the
building it's one of those weird things
that we try to avoid but welcome and
if you think just let me know thank you
what do you think of it I'd like to
thank you all for coming I mean I think
it's very important you know a lot of
times when when I was campaigning people
would say you know I only see
politicians when they're out campaigning
well it's difficult to get to everyone
in the city all the time so it's
wonderful for you to all come out and
tell us how you feel I'm really
appreciative of that and I just want to
say you know landlord's pennant I was a
tenant I'm a landlord I'm a homeowner we
always struggle those we really do and
there's a lot of great landlords out
there and there's a lot of great tenants
and what we heard here tonight I I don't
know if it's going to
how things are going to play out from
here what is council's person Williams
said it's your responsibility to keep it
in the Forefront of each and every one
of us reach out to each of us via email
our telephones and come to Council
meetings and see what we're doing so
again I'd like to just thank you all for
being here
[Applause]
so thank you for all all of you for
coming out as we've seen here tonight as
what we already know and this is a
complex issue
it's very difficult
it ranges from faulty economic policies
at the federal level to different
policies at the state and local level it
gets down to things like how do we as a
New York state to support for people who
need it so for example we rehashing our
entire benefit system of what we want
people to have thirty thousand dollars
they're working they're doing what they
need to do and they're only making 20.
we'll give them ten thousand to get up
to that thirty thousand that's something
that could be done at the state level
rather than what we already have as a
benefits policy so that's things at the
state level need to be done on a local
level the reality is while it sounds
nice rent stabilizations not going to
solve the problem
but there are things that we can do for
example mixed income
of development
where
we have a hundred units making up
numbers being developed
and we required 10 20 to be a certain
income class and the others
broken down so forth those are real
policies we can do that can impact
change
having licensed landlords will not only
require landlords to be in the system
and have
proper property that renters can be
assured that they're getting a good
quality apartment
that holds the feet to the fire
educating
renters as to what are their rights is
important making sure that you have a
contract making sure that your landlord
is either licensed if we get to that
point or has a rental contract so you're
not getting taken advantage of is
something that's really important
so how do we encourage that education to
come to me and there's things we could
probably do through the development
office of educating renters so that they
know their rights and they
get advantage of
so while it sounds nice and it
the reality is rent stabilizations
probably not going to work
but there are other things because such
a complex issue that we can try to
affect change
and you guys need to put pressure
on your state representatives as well as
your federal Representatives where the
real money and real power is to really
have a major impact on housing issues
and that's where we can impact change
together
so while it might not be the most
popular thing to say that
there's other avenues we can take to try
to change the supply demand dynamically
in order to get to where we need to as a
community
and hold your representatives
accountable for the economic policy
inflation at nine percent certain stuff
15 20 the cost for all of us is over
seven thousand dollars over one year ago
that impacts all of us and that impacts
our housing ability
so it's a very complex issue and to try
to boil it down to a single thing
um you know it sounds nice but there's
things we can do that can really impact
change so please keep coming forward you
guys probably have a bunch of ideas
bring them to us you know the council
meetings have been well attended over
the past months so
look forward to seeing you soon thank
you
[Applause]
[Music]
so again I also want to thank everyone
for coming out tonight
um you know I think it was a great input
and I just appreciate um the whole kind
of like atmosphere in the world I really do I want to answer I want to
just note a couple things because there
was a question to ask so if I have a
dancer I want to be able to give that
tonight someone wanted to know how many
Code Enforcement Officers we have So
currently there are nine code
enforcement officers and one supervisor
that's currently billed there are three
vacant positions so that means job
opportunity if you know anybody that's
looking for it and uh for a job
um and also I think it was already
mentioned but there is a program that's
going to be called Home Ownership made
easy because we know that home ownership
stabilizes neighborhoods it also has
impact on time so you know um people
have an opportunity to become homeowners
and DC um vcni does have a down payment
program for people who want to become
homeowners so that program does exist
out there up to ten thousand dollars if
you want if you're a first time with a
buyer and it doesn't mean 100 first time
in your whole life there's some other
things that made you you know meet you
as the first time on my interview if you
own property prior to that I just want
to make sure that I um answerable
questions
okay I think so so
um I will say that how you see it
depends on where you sit and clearly uh
we sit in various places in this room
however there is one thing I think that
everybody will agree on tonight
that something needs to be done first
and foremost and
um that there's good event on both sides
so
I mean I think that was without a
question when we came to the room but
you know to hear the acknowledgment to
hear I think it was important for
tenants to hear from landlords and
landlords to hear from tenants firsthand
and not through the um so somewhat of
Social Service of person talking to the
landlord or vice versa but to hear
firsthand some of the things that people
are struggling with
um I just want to kind of highlight some
of the things and let you know that we
are taking notes I will watch this again
from in its entirety and but but taking
notes tonight and uh some really good
ideas uh came out of it
uh intended for landlords that people on
disability of just hitting the key
points keep individuals with
disabilities are limited income should
be considered and also make sure that
they have the information of where they
can get assistance that the number of
units should kind of equal out to the
number of people who um who are seeking
you know the law of supply and demand
and I also one other fact I forgot to
say e-rep does have funding I have made
that clear today to make that phone call
today not yesterday but today and they
said yes they do there is funding so I
just want to be clear about that I don't
know how long it's going to last but as
of today they did have funding so I
don't want people to walk away with the
idea um otherwise and and all of you can
call your elves
it's all numbered as landlord stands as
tenants if you choose to hear more about
what's going on and even if you have an
application in and that's
1-800-342-3009 and as always you have to
follow the prompts
we all love those
um let's see
oh if we do well you can if you're a
landlord I think you already know that
the city does have a landlord
registration
um
propane and a lot of us said about
affordable housing and making sure or
health events built and making sure
there's a more affordable unit which I
100 agree with one thing I do want to
note because it has happened in other
places that there's not a door called
the poor door
a door called the four-door which means
that if you pay Market rent you get to
come in that door and if you pay
um if you're paying um if your rent is
uh subsidized you get to go in that door
it's a real thing so we should have it
but let's make sure we don't go down
that level
um
we didn't know that you said that with
more code enforcement employees need to
be in both parts and employees
okay so uh I heard like oh the other
thing I think that comes out of this is
that there are people spoke who came
from different agencies that could work
with landlords so I understand that
slick is only starting with landlords
and not tenants right now but let me
suggest that at least those
organizations or individuals you've
heard of someone speak from Sunday who
has a lot of novels clearly so maybe
those folks who can kind of bring that
information to that group as you work
through your process of life
training
there will be both but it's
elevated
no I'm saying bringing people who can
help you through your process not the
tenants at this time that's what I
wasn't want to be clear about like the
gentleman that spoke he had a lot of
information about
um you know the whole processes and ways
that energy cloth could play into that
and all of that so uh we're gonna we're
gonna put the notes together
and you uh we're going to email them out
or they'll post it on our website
probably better post on our website in
case you don't have our email address
uh so I just I don't want to take many
more time we're already past 10 of 30s
but I do want you to know that we are listening we are taking
consideration everything that you've
said and you know it isn't it is the
first place the first starting place and
when it's necessary starting place
because
there is a problem landlords have said
there is a problem tentative that
they're a big problem so recognizing
that because there's a problem I know
some people say well government
shouldn't get involved
you invited us when you came to the city
council meeting to get involved so we're
getting involved in this townhouse in
this town hall today is to try to help
work through uh what seems to be a
crisis at this point we don't want to
get any worse so thank you again for
your time your attention your uh being
here
[Applause]
thank you
it's just a great command so I just want
to thank everyone for coming on this
evening
[Music]
and we have a lot of take away here and
as the religion says we're going to meet
other community meetings
concern as we heard from you but you
know what on both sides very soon so I'm
concern number needs to address
so all that we've got to work together
let's work together
me as a group need to work in another
city council by the landlord attendant
one of us addresses unless arrive at a
conclusion where all of us can walk away
and Achieve something else so thank you
again for coming to keep us informed
thank you
tonight I just want to thank everybody
again that came out um we talked about
this wonderful resource in the community
I want to be clear that you guys
recognize that our greatest resource in
the community is what the people that
are in the community
energize maybe to work together I didn't
come here and just talk and say that
we're going to bring the city council to
the people as you see that's what we're
doing this
[Applause]
[Music]
foreign