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Council questions inspectional services on rental registry, staffing, illegal apartments and rodent control
Summary
Inspectional Services staff briefed the council on a $5.7 million proposed budget (about 13% increase), the city’s rental registry rollout, inspection plans, staffing and public-safety issues such as hoarding, illegal apartments and sewer baiting for rodents.
Worcester’s inspectional services leaders answered council questions about the department’s FY26 budget and the ongoing rental‑registry rollout, which staff described as a multi‑year effort with inspections staged over a five‑year cycle.
Commissioner Antonavica (newly introduced to council) and Deputy Commissioner Dave Horn and Chief Inspector Lee Hall (referred to in testimony as Ms. Hall) outlined a $5.7 million recommended appropriation they said reflected continued programs such as rodent control, step increases and a management‑pay analysis.
Staff described the rental‑registry implementation as a soft launch on a new vendor platform (Slate) and a shift from a prior portal. “We had originally about 10,000 registrations,” Hall said; staff explained that the 10,000 registered properties correspond to roughly 30,000 rental units and that planners estimate about 50,000 rental units…
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