[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees
of the Village of Ossining 11-16-1986 by L.L. No. 6-1986. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Pursuant to the authority granted by § 239-z
of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York, there is hereby
created and established a Landlord-Tenant Relations Council for the
Village of Ossining to be known as the "Village of Ossining Landlord-Tenant
Relations Council."
The Village of Ossining Landlord-Tenant Relations
Council is hereby authorized and directed to
A.
Conduct research into community housing problems;
B.
Formulate programs to improve landlord-tenant relations;
C.
Accumulate statistical information on available housing
accommodations;
D.
Counsel the Board of Trustees on landlord-tenant problems
and disputes and recommend programs for the solution of same; and
E.
Resolve problems and disputes between landlords and
tenants through mediation and discussion at meeting of the Council.
[Amended 11-1-2017 by L.L. No. 7-2017]
A.
The Village of Ossining Landlord-Tenant Relations Council shall consist
of nine members who shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees for
a term not exceeding two years and who shall be unsalaried. A quorum
shall consist of five members. Members may be reappointed for no more
than four consecutive terms (eight years). Should a member's
term expire and no replacement has been appointed or the member has
not yet been reappointed, the member shall continue to serve until
a new member is appointed or the member is reappointed by the Board
of Trustees. If the member has served for four consecutive terms,
that member must be off the Council for one year before applying for
appointment. Three of such members shall represent landlord interests,
three shall represent tenant interests and three shall be neither
landlords nor tenants in the Village of Ossining. Examples of these
three members include but are not limited to owners of single-family
homes, owners of cooperative units, owners of condominium units, and
owners of non-real-estate-related businesses who reside in the Village
of Ossining. The three members who represent landlord interests need
not be residents of the Village of Ossining. The landlords may designate
representatives to serve on the Council as the landlord members. In
addition to the nine members, the Village's Building Inspector
and Director of Section 8 Housing will serve as nonvoting ex-officio
members. The Village's Corporation Counsel will provide legal
counsel to the Council as necessary.
B.
All members of the Council shall be required to attend a minimum
of 75% of the Council meetings scheduled within a calendar year. Noncompliance
with minimum requirements relating to attendance at meetings shall
be deemed a proper cause for removal from the Council by the Board
of Trustees.
C.
The Chairperson of the Council shall notify the Board of Trustees
on or about December 1 in any year, or at any other time if so warranted,
of any Council member who fails to comply with the minimum requirements
for meeting attendance in any calendar year.
D.
Notwithstanding the foregoing attendance requirements, the failure
of a Council member to attend the required percentage of meetings
shall not affect the member's authority to vote on Council determinations
or the validity of such Council member's actions.
[Amended 11-1-2017 by L.L. No. 7-2017]
The Chairman of the Council shall be designated
by the Board of Trustees from among the members appointed to the Council.
The Board of Trustees shall have the authority to remove any member
of the Council so appointed, for cause, after a public hearing. Vacancies
shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as an original
appointment. The Board of Trustees is hereby authorized to make such
appropriations as it may see fit for such expenses incurred by the
Council. The Council may appoint such clerks and other employees as
it may from time to time require, with the approval of the Board of
Trustees. The expenses of the Council shall not exceed the appropriation
that is made therefor by the Board of Trustees.
[Added 11-1-2017 by L.L.
No. 7-2017]
As noted in § 24-2E, the Landlord-Tenant Relations Council is authorized to resolve problems and disputes between landlords and tenants through mediation and discussion. Pursuant to that authority, the Landlord Tenant Relations Council may hold hearings attended by the landlord, tenant and their representatives. The hearings shall be open to the public except for those matters which are subject to privilege pursuant to applicable local, state and/or federal law. The Landlord-Tenant Relations Council may, if necessary, request from the landlord and tenant documents and other information deemed necessary by the Landlord-Tenant Relations Council to fairly consider the matter before it. If the requested documents are not provided in a timely manner, the Landlord-Tenant Relations Council may direct the Corporation Counsel or his/her designee to issue a subpoena for the production of the requested records.
[Added 11-1-2017 by L.L.
No. 7-2017]
The Landlord-Tenant Relations Council shall adopt rules of procedure
for the conduct of its business. Such rules and any amendments thereto
shall be a part of the Council's written record and be made available
to the public. The Council's rules and any amendments thereto
shall not conflict with the provisions of this chapter. Such rules
of procedure shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees for review.
Failure of the Board of Trustees to approve, reject or modify such
rules of procedure and any amendments thereto within 30 days after
submission shall be deemed to constitute approval thereof.
