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Staff recommends council repeal landlord registration after low enrollment and high admin costs
Summary
Planning & Codes staff told council the residential landlord registration program produced roughly 160 registered landlords and about $1,600 in revenue while costing thousands of dollars in staff time and mailing; council agreed to place repeal on the Tuesday agenda and asked staff how to notify landlords.
Planning and Codes Director Richard Donovan urged the Lewisburg council to consider repealing the residential landlord registration ordinance (Lewisburg Municipal Code Title 20, Chapter 7), saying the program’s administrative costs outweigh its benefits.
Donovan said staff spent roughly "$450 of staff time" and "about $7,000 in labor cost" to identify and notify non-owner-occupied property owners, but the program produced only 160 registered landlords and about $1,600 in revenue. He estimated roughly 800 rental units in the city and said the registry rarely provided consistent phone or email contact information.
"This program is far more burdensome than the benefit we get from it," Donovan told council, citing ongoing database maintenance and the need for a purpose-built software solution that could cost at least $6,000.
Council members discussed practical issues if the city stopped collecting the $10 fee immediately, including whether staff would owe refunds for recent payments and how to notify landlords. Donovan suggested a website banner and staff intercepting in-person or phone payments during the discontinuation period.
Without objection the council agreed to place repeal of the registration ordinance on the regular Tuesday agenda for formal action; staff will handle communications about the discontinuation and the mechanism for any required refunds.
