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Rental ordinance still unsettled as City Council balks
(by Sue Reid - March 24, 2011)
Rental ordinance still unsettled as City Council balks
By SUE REID
Internal inspections of rental properties may be back on the table in Solon.
City Council moved Monday to reject a recommendation from the planning commission on a revised rental-occupancy-permit ordinance that would call for an annual registration of rental properties but exclude inspections.
Council said it will schedule a public hearing for its next meeting April 4 on the original rental ordinance drafted by Planning Director Robert S. Frankland last year. That ordinance included full inspections.
Council approved the motion with a vote of 4-3. Voting in favor of rejecting the commission's recommendation were Councilwomen Toni M. Richmond and Nancy E. Meany, along with Councilmen Edward H. Kraus and Robert N. Pelunis. Opposing the rejection of the recommendation were Councilmen William I. Russo, William D. Mooney and Richard A. Bell.
"We should have more discussion" of the full ordinance, Mr. Pelunis said. "We should have the inspection portion in there. Without it, it is not relevant to what we want to accomplish."
Mr. Mooney disagreed. He said council has already held a public hearing on the full ordinance, and he would like to hold one just on the registration to see the feedback before rejecting it.
Mr. Bell agreed. "Let's see where we are with registration," he said. "I would like to keep the two things separate, because we will keep bouncing this back to planning and not making a decision for our residents."
The planning commission already has held months of public hearings on the ordinance.
When the ordinance was before City Council last October, it did not give much support for internal inspection of properties but indicated it would consider a more systematic approach to exterior maintenance in which all properties are reviewed.
Before the vote and during the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Dale Sawinski said he does not know why the city is rehashing the issue of rental inspections.
"We have an internal maintenance code in place, and we have to use it," he said. "We don't need more laws on the books when we have laws we chose not to follow. Why create more?" he asked.
"We have so many tools in the toolbox that we can't get the tools to the job," he said.
"Inspections will be quite expensive, and they will require manpower, multiple follow-ups and court action," Mr. Sawinski said. "There are better ways to spend municipal tax dollars, in my opinion."
Mr. Sawinski said the complaints he hears from fellow residents are about the external conditions of properties, not the internal ones. "If we choose to actively enforce the existing exterior maintenance program, we have to be prudent," he said.
Resident Robert Cox asked that inspections be included with the registration portion of the ordinance. He said it would provide those who choose to rent with "a level of security." Inspections would also help to ensure the maintenance of property values, he said.
"Solon is a community for renters and landowners alike, and this will protect all who reside in Solon," he said.
"If you choose to be so timid and take baby steps and do not include rental inspection with the rental registration proposal, this will be the issue for the fall elections," resident Christopher Bryant said. "I truly wonder about and I genuinely question the motives and beliefs of anyone who would deny inspection of rental properties and jeopardize the safety and wellbeing of our Solon citizens."
"We've got a lot of laws on the books that we are not enforcing," resident Ned Bergen said. He said, even if inspection of properties is legal, it does not mean that it is appropriate or will work.
"I've yet to see a proven problem documented and how this bill will solve it," Mr. Bergen said. All he hears is conjecture, he said.
"Don't go there," Mr. Bergen said of inspections. "This is a slippery slope. Use some common sense."
"Literally, the future of Solon is in your hands," resident Jacquelyn Calavitta said to council members in speaking in favor of inspections. "Don't let us down."
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