Syracuse City Auditor Alex Marion is urging city councilors to pass Good Cause Eviction laws with the release of a new report.
As Syracuse city councilors continue to hold discussions regarding Good Cause Eviction laws in the city, Marion says the time to act is now. In his new report titled "There's No Place Like Home," Marion finds a direct line between evictions and homelessness in the city and both have risen since COVID-19.
Marion said the report aims to inform the councilors' decisions.
"When I took office, we sought to revitalize the auditor's office dual mandate, providing strong oversight of the work of city government today and better insight into the decisions we need to make for tomorrow," Marion said. "This report is squarely in that mandate."
Marion released the report on the steps of city hall alongside community and tenant advocates. He said the council needs to make good on their communication and open the issue up to public input.
"The public is ready to provide their input, they need the opportunity to do so," Marion said. "And I would urge the council to quickly give people the opportunity to provide that input."
Marion said that passing Good Cause Eviction laws would save taxpayer dollars and help curb the homelessness issue in the community.
"Emergency services, shelters, police resources all cost city taxpayers a tremendous amount of money," Marion said. "Good Cause Eviction will make a difference for years and years to come."