Committee pauses ordinance on housing inspections and fees, asks administration for policy directive and more study

The Ithaca Common Council Committee of the Whole spent an extended portion of its meeting on amendments to Chapter 210 (certificate of compliance) and proposed changes to the housing inspection fee structure needed to integrate inspections billing into the city’s OpenGov permitting system. Department staff warned that the existing code’s per-room, end-of-process fee accounting does not map directly into OpenGov’s property-based records and that a revised fee schedule would streamline billing and online payments.

Lisa (identified in the meeting as the department director) and Rob (director of code enforcement) presented a three-year average of fees and a set of scenarios showing how a cost-recovery approach would raise inspection fees substantially. They said the housing inspection fees currently make up roughly 5.7% of the department’s fee revenues and that fully covering salary and benefits through fees would require fee increases on the order of 130%–220% in their illustrative calculations. Staff emphasized their program’s emphasis on voluntary compliance, the difference between complaint-driven inspections and routine certificate-of-compliance inspections, and the risk that large fee increases could be passed on to tenants and reduce voluntary compliance.

Council members debated competing priorities: some members pushed for greater cost recovery and stronger enforcement (including higher fines and more aggressive prosecution), while others warned about passing costs to renters and the need for more analysis before changing the policy. Several members requested additional data — including counts of violations, prosecution activity, unpaid fines and liens, and a room-based alternative fee schedule — and asked that staff circulate answers to written questions from council.

On procedure, Alderperson Lederman moved an amendment to strike the ordinance language and replace it with a policy directive (a blanked resolution-style directive requesting staff work with council on a fee policy). The committee approved that amendment 6–4. The council then voted to postpone final action on a revised fee schedule to the chair’s discretion (so staff and council can refine the policy and schedule it for an upcoming committee meeting); that postponement carried 8–2. Staff said the department’s goal had been to implement the housing inspection workflow in OpenGov in February but that the timetable would be adjusted to allow council deliberation.