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Saginaw council opens review of rental-inspection program after property-owner complaints
Summary
A Saginaw property owner and multiple council members pressed staff to revisit the city's rental-inspection schedule and fee structure; staff described the program as self-supporting and said single-family inspections occur every other year while multifamily units are inspected annually. Council asked staff to return with options and a workshop in 2025.
A Saginaw property owner urged city leaders to scale back the local rental-inspection program, and council members agreed to revisit the ordinance and fee schedule.
At a council meeting, property owner Don Click said his single rental unit at 912 Wrigley Way required only minor repairs and that Saginaw's $125-per-door registration fee was "excessive" compared with nearby cities. "I've been owning and managing property in Tarrant County for 46 years," Click said, adding that move-in inspections in other cities make annual visits unnecessary.
City staff and council members pushed back that the program was created to identify problem properties and that the fee was intended to be self-supporting so taxpayers would not subsidize private rental businesses. Building/inspection staff reported that the program now covers roughly 1,150 single-family rental registrations and that single-family properties are inspected every other year while multifamily units are inspected yearly.
Council members suggested possible changes: narrow inspections to problem owners, add graduated schedules that extend inspection intervals after a string of clean inspections, or shift to move-in-only inspections in some cases. Councilmember Cindy (recorded by role) said a review could reduce workload for the overtaxed building-inspection staff; another councilmember proposed an "incentive" such as extended intervals for owners with successive clean inspections.
The mayor asked staff to draft options and to bring the topic back for a future workshop; staff indicated they would return with recommendations within 2025. No ordinance change was adopted at the meeting.
Ending: Council directed staff to prepare a range of options for fee structure and inspection frequency and to present them in a workshop in 2025 so the council can consider amendments or pilot changes.
