NORWICH – The City of Norwich Common Council held a special meeting Tuesday night with two major issues on the agenda: To receive the proposed rental registry ordinance to amend Chapter 50 of the City Code, and to authorize the mayor to sign a labor agreement between the Firefighter’s Association and the City of Norwich.

After several public hearings and a great deal of comment on the topic, the city is ready to go forward with its plan for a rental registration. The proposal calls for landlords to register with the city, providing their name, address, telephone number and, if they are not local residents, the name, address and telephone number of a local contact.

“We’ve had meetings with Jason Lawrence (City Code Enforcement Officer), Joe Angelino (City Police and Fire Chief), the task force committee, and Patrick Flanagan (City Attorney) going over the whole thing with the changes for the rental registration,” Mayor Joseph Maiurano said.

The proposed rental registry has been added to Chapter 50 of the city’s code, which has been revised to provide steeper fines for those who don’t comply. Once the rental registration is in effect, landlords will be given a 30-day grace period within which to register.