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Lawrence committee pauses work on overhaul of rental-registration rules after inspection staff briefing
Summary
The Ordinance Committee heard a detailed briefing from Inspectional Services Director Pat Ruiz on illegal apartments and rental-registration enforcement, asked for quarterly tracking and follow-up, and voted to table further action until staff returns with specific recommendations.
Chair Mark Laquan convened the Ordinance Committee on April 8 and opened a discussion on a resolution he filed addressing non‑compliant housing across Lawrence, asking Director Pat Ruiz of the Inspectional Services Department to brief the committee on the city’s current tools and enforcement capacity.
The committee heard that Lawrence’s rental-registration ordinance, adopted in 2015, “hasn’t been enforced,” in the words of Director Pat Ruiz, and that illegal apartments—basements, attics and converted porches—are widespread. Ruiz said the department currently relies in part on a federal grant that funds five inspectors who will be laid off after June 30, which “is gonna really decimate the department.” Ruiz told councilors, “I think we should rewrite the ordinance… make…
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