Forest Park council adopts changes to rental registration, raises penalties

At a special meeting Sept. 22, the Forest Park City Council adopted Ordinance 27-2025, updating the city’s rental registration program and tightening enforcement. The measure passed on a 6-0 roll call vote.

The changes "increase the fines for noncompliance with the rental registration program, more clearly define the exemptions to the program, and allow unpaid fines and fees to be certified with the Ohio Attorney General for collection purposes," the presiding officer said during the meeting. Council members Adams, Brown, Clark, Harrison, Moore and Sylvester each voted yes.

The ordinance was read by title only after the council voted to suspend the rules requiring two readings. John Wyckoff, law director and acting clerk, read the ordinance title aloud for the record. The presiding officer moved for adoption and the motion was seconded and approved.

Council members did not debate the ordinance at length during the meeting; no amendments or implementation timetables were provided on the record. The ordinance text as read amends sections of the Forest Park Codified Ordinances related to rental registration and enforcement.

No additional staff reports or public comments about implementation were recorded during the meeting. The council provided no further details about when the amended enforcement provisions would take effect or how staff will notify affected property owners and managers.