We had said before the end of 2025 that new City Council members faced a steep learning curve before taking office on Jan. 1.

Judging from community suggestions brought to the council recently by the Jamestown Justice Coalition, there are some who want the new four Democrats on the council to move quickly – particularly when it comes to housing.

We don’t disagree that there is too much substandard housing in Jamestown. And we hear far too often about people who pay their rent only to struggle to get things like broken furnaces fixed or to have water problems fixed quickly.

That’s part of what made suggestions from the Jamestown Justice Coalition, culled from concerned citizens online, interesting. Justin Hubbard, coalition director, said residents are calling for more physical enforcement of housing codes in the city, including establishing maximum response timelines for housing complaints, creating a priority tier system for violations involving heat, water, electric hazards and structural safety, and then requiring annual safety inspections for all rental properties. Those responding to the JJC’s social media questions also support a landlord licensing that includes having a license required to operate rental units and creating incentives to keep landlords local. Hubbard additionally suggested establishing a repeat offender registry and limit on the number of properties owned by a single entity.

They’re not bad suggestions, particularly in the case of emergency situations involving heat, water, electrical hazards and structural safety. The question is how hard the city – and its Housing Court judges – should push landlords. Jamestown has a shortage of affordable housing as rents have increased much faster than household incomes. At the same time the city has demolished some of the worst structures in the city over the years. That’s why advocates have been pushing so hard for affordable housing projects like the Gateway Lofts or the Blooming Gardens on the city’s north side. But until some of these new units come online Jamestown needs every available housing unit at lower price points.

Taking more units out of the housing mix is only going to push rental costs higher as demand further outstrips supply – and it’s possible that pushing landlords too hard means they will simply walk away from their properties if they are condemned. Of course, if a home is in such rough shape, should people be living in it in the first place?

New council members control the council’s Housing Committee with newly elected chairwoman Hannah Jaroszynski and newly elected councilman Dan Gonzalez, with longtime councilman Brent Sheldon also serving on the committee. Their committee will be an interesting one to watch.