County, city and other governmental agencies may soon get a new tool to help crack down on absent landlords along with tackling the remediation of lead-based paints if Gov. Kathy Hochul has her way.

Hochul’s upcoming budget may call for the creation and implementation of a statewide rental database, which also includes a new lead initiative targeting prevention of childhood lead poisoning. The initiative builds off a rental registry and inspection approach developed in Rochester and involves multiple agencies including the Division of Housing and Community Renewal and Department of State.

Hochul’s budget plan is expected to be released next month. One proposal she’s recommending is to amend Public Health Law by adding a new section: state rental registry and proactive inspections to identify lead hazards. The new section would direct the Secretary of State to promulgate rules and regulations for procedures requiring documentation of compliance with regulations adopted by DOH; and specifies compliance with such regulations as a condition to issuance of a certificate of occupancy or certificate of compliance following a periodic fire safety and property maintenance inspection for multiple dwellings.

“I think this is a good thing,” said Crystal Surdyk, city director of development. “This has been a long time coming. This attaches another mechanism and tool for our code enforcement officers to be able to hold those accountable who refuse to keep up their properties because their rental in nature.”

Statewide, the registration, by design, should reduce the amount of lead-based posing incidents and allow local governmental agencies better control of rental property and landlords who allow their properties to fall into despair, or refuse to make upgrades or timely repairs.

“This registration goes hand-in-hand with our quality of life ticketing program,” Surdyk said. “Plus, with the state amending the limited liability corporation criteria this allows us to crack the corporation veil and ticket those who refuse to fix up their properties.”

It’s unclear how much of an appetite the state Legislature will have for the proposal. State Sen. Brian Kavanaugh, D-Manhattan, introduced legislation (S.2505) earlier this year to do part of what Hochul is proposing by creating a statewide residential rental registry that would include a rental unit’s history of code violations and the number of findings of harassment on record with the code enforcement agencies.

The bill passed the Senate Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee earlier this year in an 8-2 vote, with state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, voting against. Despite committee approval, the bill never made it to the Senate floor for full consideration and a companion bill was never introduced in the state Assembly.

Versions of the bill have been introduced in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

The proposal drew a complaint from a Jamestown landlord and homeowner already.

“Again, the government is sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong,” said Nicholas Wooten, a local landlord and homeowner. “Hochul thinks she can do whatever she wants, but we have checks and balances, even here in New York.”