Brookfield continues debate over proposed rental-registration ordinance as landlords press for data and cost clarity

Village of Brookfield officials continued a months-long discussion about a proposed rental-registration ordinance at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, Nov. 10, as staff laid out three possible approaches and dozens of landlords and residents urged the board to slow down and produce more local evidence and cost estimates.

Community development director Libby Popovic presented three options: (1) a basic annual registration to collect current ownership and contact details with a staff-estimated administrative fee of $50 per building; (2) registration plus exterior and common-area inspections on a three-year cycle with a higher administrative fee and inspection charges; and (3) a staff-recommended full program combining exterior/common-area inspections and interior unit sampling on a three-year rotation, modeled on practices in nearby Riverside and Oak Park. Popovic told trustees that relying solely on assessor or water-billing records does not reliably establish legal ownership for notices because recorded deeds, tax-bill addresses and assessor…