Landlord Registry Passes in Orangetown

At Tuesday’s town board meeting, a public hearing was held to discuss a potential Landlord Registry before the proposal was adopted by the Orangetown Board. No one in attendance objected to the Landlord Registry during public comment – in fact, many seemed pleased with the move, which was passed into law. Constituents were more concerned with the finer details concerning rates, fees and fines, as well as the notification process for landlords. 

The Landlord Registry will be administered by the building department, and landlords will now be required to register with the town. Robert V. Magrino, the Town Attorney, stated that this registry will simplify and streamline the process of enforcing zoning codes in Orangetown. Kenny clarified that if a homeowner lives on the property they are renting, for example in a two family house, they will not be required to register. Orangetown’s leadership stated that they have  been able to reliably contact landlords residing in their rental properties but have had difficulty communicating with property owners when the rental management is under an LLC or is managed by an offsite landlord. 

Proponents of the new system have argued that the current process wastes town time and money as it requires tracking down property owners in order to enforce rental building codes or maintenance requirements. The registry seeks to alleviate this.

The board voted to implement the new system, which will now require that property owners operating buildings that have one to four housing units pay $75 to join the registry. Landlords owning and operating properties with five or more units must now pay $150 per year. While the fee for not registering was not discussed, Town Board Member Paul Valentine nodded in agreement when Orangetown resident Sue Loughran stated, “I hope that the fine if you don’t register is going to be high.” 

After landlords are notified of the Landlord Registry, they will be “on the clock” to register and will be penalized if they do not sign up within a reasonable time frame. The registration will take place every year. If you need to register your apartment building or believe someone is not on the Landlord Registry and is operating illegally, you can contact the building department by phone at 845-359-5100, email OBZPAE@orangetown.com or go online to orangetown.com/. 

Following the public hearing, Aric Gorton, the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation in Orangetown, discussed the noise ordinance surrounding the use of leaf blowers and other machinery. Currently, the ordinance dictates that golf courses may begin course maintenance one hour before sunrise. The local law amendment proposes exempting the town and its employees from this ordinance. “Our first tee times go out at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and on weekends at 6:30 a.m., so there’s a tight window for quite a bit of work to get done,” Gorton stated, sharing that trying to perform maintenance with golfers on the course would be next to impossible for the safety of the golfers and the course employees. Gorton stated that similarly to other local golf courses, they start maintenance as far away as possible from private residences and work their way in. 

When questioned about the use of electric leaf blowers to reduce the noise, Gorton explained that electric leaf blowers are not powerful enough to perform the required maintenance on the course and are of a similar noise level to gas blowers.  

Within the town of Orangetown there has been debate on the alleged ambiguity of the code. Several constituents came up to the podium to decry the proposed adjustment of the ordinance and to voice their frustration with the frequent early morning wake up calls. 

One such resident was John Heneghan of Pearl River. Heneghan shared, “Where I come from, we say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and the rules should be the same for everybody. The town is here to improve the quality of our life, not diminish it.”

Chris O’Rourke of Pearl River stated that he has sent in more than 30 complaints over the years in regards to the noise from the golf course. He shared a list of local municipalities that have restricted or banned leaf blowers outright, and cautioned the Town Board against implementing the exemption here in Orangetown. 

Andrew Gangemi, was named the Senior Recreation Supervisor in Orangetown, and his tenure will begin June 16. The Pearl River Carnival will take place June 12 through June 15 with proceeds going towards the July 4 town fireworks. On June 22nd, the Eucharistic Procession will take place, and Bastille Day will be celebrated in Piermont on July 12th.