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Council rejects proposed rental housing code after large public turnout; city to revisit enforcement options
Summary
After hours of public comment from landlords, property managers and tenants, the Mitchell City Council voted down a proposed rental housing code on second reading and signaled it will explore other ways to address complaints and enforcement.
The Mitchell City Council declined to adopt a proposed rental housing ordinance on second reading, following extensive public comment from landlords, property managers and tenants who said the draft would impose undue costs and complexity on local housing providers.
Supporters of a regulatory approach told the council they were motivated by health-and-safety concerns and by tenant complaints that some units are in poor condition. Opponents said the draft was not user-friendly, would create recurring fees and inspections that would increase rents and that the city’s existing nuisance and code-enforcement tools should be strengthened instead.
At the meeting landlords and property managers representing dozens of units urged the council to abandon the draft as written. Several said their properties already pass common-sense safety checks and that a broad, mandatory inspection regime would be expensive and would require additional staff and recurring fees. Mills Property Management and other local managers noted that program-style licensing fees could be passed on to renters and would reduce affordability.
Council discussion acknowledged the need to address substandard housing cited by residents, but members and staff also said the draft ordinance had drafting errors and open items that required more work. City staff and councilors suggested several alternate paths: revise the draft and return it to committee; expand proactive code enforcement and nuisance inspections; or develop a targeted remediation approach for units or owners with repeated complaints.
A motion to approve the ordinance on second reading failed on the roll call. Several council members said they supported the concept of improving rental housing conditions but believed the current draft would need major revisions and wider stakeholder review before adoption. The council asked staff to return with options that would improve enforcement of existing codes or propose a narrower inspection model that reduces compliance burdens for well-maintained properties.
