Auburn City Council’s housing debate widened Thursday as residents demanded stronger enforcement against unsafe rentals, landlords challenged a possible property rating system and Councilor Rhoda Overstreet-Wilson called for reactivating an existing housing committee.
The Oct. 22 discussion followed last week’s presentation on expanding public access to rental records through the city’s Building Blocks software. Council has not approved a landlord grading system or new rental regulations.
Overstreet-Wilson said she arrived prepared to propose a housing committee but learned that Auburn already has one that is inactive. She urged city officials to give the reactivated committee a meaningful role in addressing rental conditions and using information the city already collects.
Her focus, she said, is renters living in properties with violations or missing occupancy documentation, including people who fear retaliation if they report problems.
“The majority of renters in this community are working folk, and they have a right to have livable and affordable housing,” she said.
Residents question whether enforcement has enough teeth
James Udall, an Auburn resident and landlord, argued that existing rules are ineffective without stronger follow-through.
He described a Seminary Street rental that he said had gone approximately 20 months without a current certificate of occupancy. He also questioned how properties could change hands while substantial city taxes remained unpaid.
Udall proposed requiring evidence of tax clearance before a deed could be recorded. His descriptions of individual properties and tax debts were allegations raised during public comment; council did not establish findings on those cases Thursday.
Other speakers urged residents to move away from personal disputes and toward a structured discussion involving tenants, landlords and city officials. One landlord requested a town hall or roundtable where participants could develop proposals together.
Landlords challenge how ratings would work
Landlords who addressed council warned that a public grade could misrepresent an owner’s performance if it included police responses, tenant disputes or complaints that proved unfounded.
One speaker argued that owners should be able to review the information behind a negative rating, correct errors and appeal before publication. Another said police activity associated with removing disruptive tenants could make a property appear worse even while an owner was trying to improve it.
Those concerns address a policy still under consideration. As FingerLakes1 previously reported, city staff have been exploring Rochester’s approach to property and manager ratings, including how scores are calculated and whether Auburn collects comparable information.
Housing study could guide the next steps
Overstreet-Wilson said the city and county’s housing study should help shape the committee’s work and the city’s response.
She emphasized developing a coordinated approach rather than creating another committee without clear responsibilities. Her remarks build on her earlier call for a community housing committee with measurable goals and regular reports.
She did not introduce a committee motion Thursday. The next decisions include how to reactivate the existing group, what responsibilities it should have and how to translate the housing study’s recommendations into action.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
