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Wichita council moves forward on property-maintenance reforms after task force review
Summary
A city task force recommended changes to the International Property Maintenance Code and related nuisance and housing ordinances to speed enforcement, raise repeat-offender penalties and create a neglected-building registry; council placed the package on first reading after public comment from tenants, landlords and advocacy groups.
A council-appointed task force that spent November and early December reviewing proposed changes to Wichita’s nuisance and housing codes recommended a package of ordinance amendments designed to improve enforcement, increase penalties for repeat offenders, and clarify registration requirements for neglected buildings.
Nella Bayouth, chair of the task force, told the council the group reviewed the IPMC draft line-by-line and sought a balanced approach: "One of the things we did is we spent the first meeting really diving into what is the process now and what are the shortcomings of the process," Bayouth said, adding the committee focused on improving enforcement tools and increasing penalties for chronic offenders.
Key recommendations: legal staff summarized changes that revise Title 8 (nuisance) and Title 20.04 (sentencing guidance) and add Title 30 to require registration of neglected buildings. Proposed penalties include tiered mandatory minimum fines for repeat offenses (e.g., Title 8: second offense $200, third $500, fourth/subsequent $1,000; housing-code first offense $300 through higher tiers for repeats) and administrative penalties and registration fees for neglected properties. The look-back period for repeat offenses was extended from 3 to 5 years. The proposal removes previously recommended mandatory jail time and instead provides municipal judges with clearer sentencing guidance.
Council and public questions: Council members asked whether the same task-force members should continue and how to avoid displacing tenants when properties are placarded. MABCD Director Chris Laber described a code-liaison program and administrative processes intended to support remediation while protecting tenants: property owners retain primary responsibility for compliance, while code liaisons and potential assistance programs would be expanded.
Public comment included tenants urging stronger tenant protections and funding to assist displaced residents, and landlords warning about unintended consequences and risks to housing supply. Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone and Mina Lucas asked the council to ensure clear, enforceable commitments for affordable-housing funding if properties are taken off-line.
Council action: The council voted unanimously to place the ordinance package on first reading and authorize signatures, directing staff to return with implementation details and any needed funding options for assistance programs.
Next steps: Ordinances will return for second reading, with staff expected to provide more detail on tenant-protection measures, funding options to assist displaced residents, and administrative procedures for the neglected-building registry.
