Residents from multiple blocks used the council’s public-comment period to describe rodent infestations they said have damaged property, cost residents thousands for repairs and created public-health risks.

Connie Coogan and Barbara Beaubien described repeated infestations and one 85‑year‑old neighbor who lived with rats in her house for weeks before help arrived. “We have families that have had to replace electrical systems in their cars due to the rats chewing off wires,” Coogan told the council.

Several residents said vacant and poorly maintained properties and yards with debris and abandoned vehicles are the main attractors. Jeff Antalek and other neighbors told the council they have observed large numbers of rodents in backyards and alleys and identified specific properties they believe are sources.

City officials — including Ordinance Director Bill Dushroom (identified in public comments) — said staff had already begun following up. Dushroom told the meeting that inspectors will be in the affected neighborhoods to document conditions and issue notices where properties violate code. He recommended residents provide contact information and said letters to neighbors are part of the next step; the ordinance office also planned immediate inspections in at least one troubled block.

DPW Director John Dancy said the department will support inspections and enforcement and that certain remediation steps require property‑owner cooperation, such as removing debris, abandoned vehicles and animal waste. Dancy also said DPW crews will work with ordinance staff and that officers would begin inspections “tomorrow” in some areas named at the meeting.

Council members asked staff to follow up directly with residents who came to the meeting and to schedule a study session to review enforcement timelines and possible community outreach. Several council members also suggested a citywide letter or neighborhood mailings explaining resident responsibilities (trash, yard maintenance, secure storage of food and debris) and describing how residents can request inspections.

What the council did not decide at the meeting was a single funding or remedial program; action items recorded were inspection assignments, letters to neighbors and a follow‑up study session. Residents pressed the council for quicker court action on chronic violators and for faster demolition or boarding of derelict structures. City staff said they are following the city’s code enforcement process, will document violations and pursue the timeline prescribed by ordinance and, when necessary, the courts.

The council asked staff to report back on progress and inspection findings at the next meeting and to add a discussion of enforcement options and timelines to a forthcoming study session.