NORWICH – Tuesday night, the Common Council held an open hearing to discuss the proposed rental dwelling registration. If passed, the ordinance would require all landlords to register with the city, providing their own name, address and telephone number as well as that of a local contact person. The ordinance also outlines the fees associated with registering and the fines that would be given if a unit was found to be out of accordance with the city codes.

Police Chief Joseph Angelino was the first to go to the podium. He reminded the crowd that Binghamton, Syracuse, and Oswego are all working on this issue, as well as larger cities throughout the country. Angelino spoke of the absentee landlords who make this registry necessary. “An absentee landlord is like a parent who doesn’t know where their child is until a police officer brings them to the door,” Angelino said, explaining that many have no idea what is going on in their properties. He continued, saying that the landlords present at the meeting were not going to be affected by this legislation. “If you are a responsible landlord, this is not going to have much effect on you.”