Mayor Steve Noble is moving quickly to fill out a new city board that will have the power to cap rent increases at more than 1,200 Kingston apartments. The board is expected to convene its first meeting next month.

In a special session last week, the Kingston Common Council voted 7-1 to endorse Noble’s proposal to declare a housing emergency in the city under the state Emergency Tenant Protection Act. Forming a Rent Guidelines Board is a necessary first step towards implementing the rent stabilization effort.

ETPA protections apply to rental housing of six or more units built before 1974. To invoke the law, a community must demonstrate a vacancy rate below 5 percent in eligible housing. A survey conducted by the city’s Office of Housing Initiatives this spring identified 1,237 ETPA-eligible apartments at 59 properties in the city with a vacancy rate of just 1.57 percent.

By law, the new rent board must consist of two tenant representatives, two property owner representatives and five members of the public. To be eligible to serve, the public members must have at least five years’ experience in finance, housing or economics. Board members must also be approved by the state Department of Housing and Community Renewal. Names of potential Rent Guidelines Board members must be submitted to the state agency for consideration within 30 days of declaring the housing emergency.

The board will meet annually and, using guidelines from DHCR, set maximum rent increases for one- and two-year leases at eligible properties. The law also gives newly established boards the power to set “Fair Market Rent” for eligible units and establish a lookback period. Leases signed during the lookback period will be compared with the Fair Market Rent and could be adjusted downward if the board determines they are out of compliance.

“This board in particular will hold a tremendous amount of responsibility and will be vital for the implementation of the Emergency Tenant Protection Act,” said Noble. “We are looking for a diverse range of Kingston residents while still complying with the rules and regulations set for us by this state law.”

Applications for the Rent Guidelines Board are due by Aug. 15. The application form is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/rentguidelinesboard.