It was standing room only in council chambers at Carroll’s City Hall as landlords and tenants gathered for a workshop on the proposed rental housing code ordinance. The three hour session sometimes veered off topic to discussions outside code language. But, the council did give attendees every opportunity to speak their mind, even though they were all requested to do so in writing prior to Monday night’s meeting. All of the comments received prior to the workshop were inserted into the document presented and many oral arguments were raised as the council went through this page-by-page. One Carroll landlord, Margaret Saddoris, asked several questions, starting with when a new city employee position was created. City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, said the position was approved in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget, but no hire has been made as of yet. Councilman, Mike Kots, also responded to Saddoris and her query about the need for a new employee, saying their duties will be divided into thirds for code enforcement, rental property inspections and sidewalk inspections. Kots also explained they are trying to create a baseline for all landlords and renters. They need to produce the necessary ordinance to allow them access to properties and guidelines to assist all parties with issues that arise. Saddoris received applause for her commentary about her feelings on the proposal.
The council asserted they are working to provide safe, quality housing for Carroll residents. Council member, Carolyn Siemann, responded to Saddoris.
Siemann went on to say she has gotten “data” from previous residents who have driven through the community and seen pockets of dilapidated housing and other buildings. They told her that is the only data they need to see an ordinance is necessary. Landlord, Leo Kasperbauer, asked the council to eliminate some of the proposed fees. These include an annual charge of $35 for the first unit in a building and $10 for each additional as well as $35 per unit for an initial reinspection fee and $55 for subsequent ones. The properties would then be inspected routinely on a three-year rotation.
Kasperbauer suggested the council tell the landlord what needs to be fixed, give them the chance to do it, and if it is done correctly, to not charge for the reinspection. No official action was taken at Monday’s meeting, but the council did consider removal of the initial reinspection fee for the first three-year inspection cycle and the removal of some requirements for window coverings and the like. Fire Chief, Greg Schreck, however, stood his ground on code language that would require a smoke detector in each bedroom and fire extinguishers in the buildings. Audio of some of topics covered and the document referenced can be found below.
Link to packet of materials, Rental Housing Code Ordinance is last segment in the packet: https://www.cityofcarroll.com/Uploads/agendas-minutes2019-2020/CouncilAgendaPacket03092020pack.pdf
Portion of audio of Monday, 03-09-20 Rental Housing Code workshop–recording device ran out of capacity due to length of meeting.
