It is the policy of the Village of Canton to provide, within constitutional
limitations, for fair housing throughout the village. It is the policy of
the Village of Canton that no person shall discriminate against any individual
in the sale, rental, advertising, financing, provision of brokerage services
or appraisal of housing within the Village of Canton.
As used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
DWELLING
Any building, structure or portion thereof which is occupied as,
or designed or intended for occupancy as, a residence by one or more families
and any vacant land which is offered for sale or lease for the construction
or location thereon of any such building, structure or portion thereof.
FAMILY
Includes a single individual.
PERSON
Includes one or more individuals, corporations, partnerships, associations,
labor organizations, legal representatives, mutual companies, joint-stock
companies, trusts, unincorporated organizations, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy,
receivers, and fiduciaries.
TO RENT
Includes to lease, to sublease, to let and otherwise to grant for
a consideration the right to occupy premises not owned by the occupant.
It shall be unlawful to deny any person access to a membership or participation
in any multiple listing service, real estate brokers organization or other
service, organization or facility relating to the business of selling or renting
dwellings within the Village of Canton, or to discriminate against such person
in the terms or conditions of such access, membership or participation, on
account of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, familial
status or national origin.
Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a religious organization, association
or society or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised
or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association
or society from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of dwellings which
it owns or operates within the Village of Canton for other than a commercial
purpose to persons of the same religion, or from giving preference to such
persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race,
color or national origin. Nor shall anything in this chapter prohibit a private
club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose
or purposes provides lodgings which it owns or operates within the Village
of Canton for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or
occupancy of such lodgings to its members or from giving preference to its
members.
There shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject to approval of the Village
Board of Trustees, a Fair Housing Officer for the Village of Canton. The duties
of the Fair Housing Officer shall be:
A. To become knowledgeable in the fair housing provisions
of federal, state and local laws.
B. To conduct an analysis of barriers to equal housing opportunity
(as per 24 CFR 570.904[c]).
C. To develop a strategy to overcome any barriers.
D. To review the local policy for impact on housing choice.
E. To compile fair housing information and make it available
to interested persons.
F. To make provision for the dissemination of information
regarding fair housing to the residents of the Village of Canton from time
to time as such material becomes available.
G. To receive all complaints from residents of the Village
of Canton with respect to any alleged discrimination on the basis of race,
color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, familial status or national
origin in the sale, rental, advertising, financing, provision of brokerage
services or appraisal of housing within the Village of Canton.
H. Upon receipt of such complaints, to make appropriate
referrals of such complaints to the New York State Division of Human Rights,
the New York State Attorney General's Office and the United States Department
of Housing and Urban Development.
I. To maintain a record of actions taken pursuant to this
plan.