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Council discusses rental dwelling improvement program to assist small landlords with repairs
Summary
Ordinance 26-037 would use neighborhood stabilization and existing funds to provide repair funding to small landlords (defined in the ordinance) who meet compliance requirements, aiming to increase affordable and safe rental stock; council members requested clarification on how the proposal intersects with existing CDBG and $60M developer funding initiatives.
Councilmember Darby introduced Ordinance 26-037, a proposal to create a rental dwelling improvement program that would use neighborhood stabilization and other existing funds to provide repair assistance to qualifying small landlords and owner-occupants who are in compliance with city requirements. Darby said the ordinance intentionally sets no new fiscal impact because it intends to tap existing funds for targeted repairs and rehabilitation.
Members discussed whether the initiative overlaps with the administration's larger development funding (discussed as a $60 million program for developers) and earlier CDBG set-asides for mom-and-pop landlords. Council Member McCoy and others recalled prior briefings from administration staff (Bob Wier/Ware) referencing unused or set-aside CDBG funds targeted to small landlord repairs; several members asked staff to clarify distinctions among a developer program, neighborhood-stabilization funds, and existing CDBG allocations. Darby said her conversations with administration did not show small-landlord assistance included in the larger development pool and asked for further clarification.
Council members emphasized conditions: assistance should be tied to maintaining affordability (AMI thresholds), limit aid to owners with business licenses and compliance records, and focus on properties that expand or preserve affordable rental stock. Members asked staff and administration to meet and return with details so the ordinance can be refined before coming to full Council.
No committee vote was recorded; Darby and other members agreed to additional meetings with administration and staff to align definitions and funding sources.
