City Council MBR Fix Bill Introduced

As Tenant//Inquilino was preparing to go to press, we learned that City Council Speaker Peter Vallone and other Council members, with Mayor Giuliani’s support, have introduced a bill amending the New York City Rent Control Law to mandate the use of the section of the tax law in the calculation of the 1996-97 Maximum Base Rent formula that will permit the Division of Housing and Community Renewal to keep the 1996-97 increase at 3 percent.

The bill will be the subject of a hearing before the Committee on Housing and Buildings on Friday, September 5, 1997 at 10:00 am at City Hall. Met Council urges its members and friends to come to this hearing to testify in favor of this bill, or just to attend and show the tenant flag. The landlords went through an 18-month court battle to overturn the 3 percent factor, and news of the City Council has reportedly sent them into a fury. They are likely to turn out in force.

Many of our members will not receive this notice in time for the hearing. Met Council sent a special hearing notice to its rent controlled members on September 2. If you are rent controlled (not rent stabilized), and you did not get this mailing, it means that we do not your regulatory status. Please call the office or write us and we will adjust our records to make sure you get special rent control information in the future.

All tenants should write or call Governor George Pataki and demand that he accept the change that the City Council is making for the protection of rent controlled tenants. For the full story of Pataki’s complicity in the promulgation of the proposed 32.4 percent MBR rent hike, see the main story on page 1.

Gov. George Pataki
Executive Chambers
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
(212) 681-4580

Also call your local Councilmember and ask him or her to support the Vallone MBR bill.