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Council hears proposal for CDBG-backed code rehabilitation assistance to support rental inspection rollout
Summary
An ordinance to establish a proactive code rehabilitation assistance program would use CDBG funds to help small rental-property owners fix health and safety deficiencies identified under a planned proactive rental inspection program; council discussed administrative and eligibility questions and did not record a final vote.
Council members on Monday reviewed an ordinance to create a proactive code rehabilitation assistance program that would use Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to help rental property owners remediate health-and-safety deficiencies identified during the city's planned proactive rental inspection program.
Council member Rebecca Rathmill, presenting the ordinance, said the fund would help prevent tenant displacement by supporting eligible rental owners who lack upfront capital to make required repairs. "This provides a bit of a buffer in terms of just startup support," Rathmill said, noting that annual registration fees from the proactive inspection program could later be used to sustain the program.
Rathmill proposed eligibility criteria that prioritize owners who are up to date on inspection registration, have a history of responding to violations, and properties that house low- and very low-income tenants. Council members discussed likely administrative complexities, including paperwork burdens for small landlords and tenants and options for how the planning department would draw down funds and cap assistance.
The council did not record a final vote on the ordinance during Monday’s meeting; members said the item should go to committee for detailed program design and administrative procedures.
