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Resident urges Hagerstown to end rental licensing program, citing higher rents and little benefit

Mayor and City Council of Hagerstown · May 19, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Ken Berry told the council that removing Section 197 and Section 95 would reduce rents and return funds to the city, asserting the program increases costs to tenants and offers no measurable housing-quality improvements; council members said they would revisit the matter at a future meeting.

Ken Berry addressed the City Council during public comment and urged the body not to reauthorize any iteration of Section 197 or Section 95 related to rental licensing.

"By removing Section 197, you immediately reduce the cost of every rental unit in the city of Hagerstown by $75," Berry said, adding that the change would "immediately increase the general fund by at least $200,000." He argued the program increases housing costs for tenants, generates complaints, and diverts city general-fund resources to operate a program that has not produced measurable improvements in housing quality.

Berry urged the council to end the program so landlords bring more units back onto the market and to reduce administrative burden. He framed his recommendation as responsive to court-mandated processes the city will need to address.

Council members responded in their remarks by noting differing perspectives. Councilman Alshire referenced the period before rental licensing was adopted and said conditions illustrated during earlier reviews supported that policy; Councilman Anderson asked that the topic be brought to the council table for further discussion. The May 26 session recorded the public comment and the council's intent to revisit the matter, but the council did not take formal action to repeal or amend the referenced sections at this meeting.

Note on claims: Berry's figures ($75 per rental unit; $200,000 to the general fund) were presented as his calculations and were not verified or tested during the May 26 session.

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