An ordinance created to help Mercer track down residents for wage and per capita taxes created some controversy with residents Tuesday evening.

Residents questioned the legality of the Tenant Registration Ordinance, which called for landlords to gather renters' Social Security numbers and their places of employment.

Lawyer Ross Cardas of Mercer said the ordinance would lead to trouble for landlords.

"There's meritless crap filed every day ... you'll get some clown over at legal aid who wants to jerk the chain of a landlord. We'll ultimately prevail but it costs to win. Landlords shouldn't have to deal with it. It's putting them in a very lose-lose proposition," Cardas said.

"A good landlord can by one sentence incorporate this in a written lease agreement," said borough solicitor Robert Kochems. "We're looking for a partnership in this information. I don't see this as rocket-science difficult."

But some residents disagreed.

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