A council member briefed colleagues on the rental-inspection task force meeting, saying the group met for about two hours to focus primarily on life-safety items and program structure.

According to the council update, participants included property managers and landlords, a tenant representative, the state electrical inspector, the chief of police, public-works staff, the building department, the city planner, the city inspector and code enforcement. The meeting concentrated on fire and life-safety topics such as smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, access and egress, windows, electrical safety, pest and rodent control, mold, and boiler inspections.

Staff and the task force will continue work internally; the group requested another meeting so that staff can prepare a proposal the task force can review. Once the task force and staff reach agreement, the proposal will be brought to the City Council for discussion and potential future action. No ordinance or policy was adopted at this meeting, and council members said the item will return after staff refinement.

Quotes:
"The primary focus was safety and human life," the council member reporting the task force said, listing smoke alarms, egress, windows and electrical among topics covered.

Speakers noted the multi-stakeholder composition of the task force and said they wanted to develop recommendations before bringing any regulatory proposals back to council for formal consideration.