PLEASANT VALLEY – The Town of Pleasant Valley approved the Good Cause Eviction (GCE) Law Monday night, just one year after the previous town board defeated the same legislation. The GCE was passed by progressive Democrats in the state legislature in 2024 and has since been enacted by a few municipalities throughout the state. In some instances, the law has become the subject of litigation between landlords and municipalities.
Pleasant Valley Councilwoman Meghan Borland sponsored the bill and spoke before the public hearing on Monday, giving her highlights of the legislation.
The law, according to Borland, prevents landlords from raising rents more than 8.7 percent unless they can show a “good reason”, she said. “A landlord can justify the increase for their rent if they had property taxes, utilities, maintenance, and labor costs,” the lawmaker explained. The law also prohibits landlords from evicting tenants without a valid reason, including non-payment of rent, breaking the lease or building rules, damaging the property, or illegal use of the property.
Landlords who have only one rental unit are exempt from the law, as are landlords who own 11 units or fewer and reside in one of the units on the premises.
Borland said 20 percent of the town’s residents live in rental units, many of which she claims are corporate-owned.
Two of Dutchess County’s most influential businessmen happen to live in Pleasant Valley and are partners in apartment complexes in the town. Joe Kirchoff and Christopher Dyson spoke against the proposal, with Kirchoff recommending holding off on the bill and creating a committee of local landlords and tenants to develop “a truly good law.” Kirchoff railed against the current eviction laws, including Good Cause, saying it protects bad tenants by allowing them to stay in the residence despite attempts to evict them.
Dyson questioned the need for the law, saying, “I have yet to hear that this (need for GCE) is a widespread, systemic problem in our town.”
Asked about why the board was trying to pass a law that the previous town board defeated, Borland implied that there is a new town board because their predecessors voted against the Good Cause Eviction law.
Councilmembers Meghan Borland, Michael Rifenburgh, and Dan Degan voted in favor of the bill, while Supervisor Mary Albrecht and Deputy Supervisor Jennifer Chapman voted against the legislation.
After the meeting adjourned, Chapman explained to Mid-Hudson News the logic behind voting against the GCE. “I voted against Good Cause Eviction again because it is simply the wrong policy for Pleasant Valley, and quite frankly, it’s being pushed despite the clear will of the people.”
Chapman continued, saying, “This proposal was already voted down in May 2025 by a 3–2 vote after a public hearing. Residents showed up, spoke out, and the board made a decision. Bringing it back again raises serious concerns with me about whether public input is actually being respected. This is a big-city, one-size-fits-all policy that does not belong in a very small town like ours. Our housing market is different, our community is different, and forcing policies like this onto Pleasant Valley risks doing real harm, not just to property owners and landlords, but to renters and the overall housing supply, which is already an issue in our town.”