CITY OF NEWBURGH — Tenants in the City of Newburgh could be fined up to $250 or jailed for up to 15 days under a proposed ordinance that would hold them responsible for maintaining rental properties.

Long sought by the city’s landlords, the provisions would prohibit such things as garbage in hallways, the outdoor storage of indoor furniture and the removal of carbon-monoxide and smoke detectors.

Tenants would also be required to keep kitchen appliances and bathrooms clean and face restrictions in areas such as the installation of outdoor Christmas lighting and the storage of flammable materials.

Newburgh’s City Council approved a public hearing for 7 p.m. Feb. 13. Public hearings will also be held on amendments to the city’s law requiring licenses for rental properties and a reduction in the fees landlords pay for their licenses.

Mayor Judy Kennedy owns rental property. At one apartment unit, the tenants broke newly installed doors, kicked in a wall and tore out a toilet, she said.

“This is a way to make things balanced (and) more fair, so everybody’s in the boat together,” Kennedy said. “We all got to take part in making the place better; you can’t throw your trash, you can’t kick in the wall and you also can’t, as a landlord, have an apartment that doesn’t work.”

Newburgh’s proposal is based on a similar law in Kingston and represents years of work that originated with the city’s Distressed Properties Task Force.

Landlords have long complained that they have been unfairly singled out for the city’s property maintenance problems. Mike Acevedo, president of the city’s landlords association, said tenants are constantly “renting and wrecking” and saddling owners with costly repairs.

“I think it’s going to be a wonderful thing for the city,” he said. “Tenants are constantly destroying properties and walking away.”

If the Council approves the new provisions, renters would face fines for unsanitary conditions that invite bugs and rodents and for creating fire hazards by running extension cords under rugs or improperly hanging holiday lighting.

Stoves and refrigerators would have to be kept clean to prevent bugs and mice, and the outdoor storage of junk cars would be prohibited.

Tenants who fail to remedy violations within a given time would face prosecution in court.

“This is the easy part,” Councilwoman Karen Mejia said of the tenant ordinance. “Now comes the enforcement and the accountability portion.”

lsparks@th-record.com