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Todd County employee presses Long Prairie to revisit rental enforcement; council points to upcoming rental-registration proposal
Summary
Todd County employee David Determan urged the council to re-evaluate mobile food-license allocation and enforcement of rental housing codes, raising concerns about overcrowding and pest infestations; Mayor Kreemer said Planning & Zoning will consider a rental-registration ordinance.
During public comment on Dec. 22, Todd County employee David Determan told the Long Prairie City Council that mobile food licenses are a Todd County responsibility and urged the city to re-evaluate fees that he said hinder enforcement.
Determan also described housing code limitations that he said restrict when code enforcement can act, and he raised concerns about overcrowded single-family dwellings—particularly among immigrant households—and documented pest infestations including cockroaches, mice and rats. He recommended shifting responsibility for pest control from occupants to property owners and asked the city to begin revising enforcement tools and fees to enable more effective action.
Mayor Jim Kreemer acknowledged the concerns and said a preliminary step is scheduled for the Planning & Zoning agenda on Dec. 23: a proposed ordinance to require rental-property registration. Kreemer described the draft as complaint-driven, with inspections performed by the police department and administrative penalties for noncompliance; the city will begin compiling a database of non-homesteaded properties to verify rental status.
The council did not take immediate regulatory action in this meeting; the Planning & Zoning review will precede any ordinance or enforcement changes.
The record does not list specific new enforcement fees or a timetable for adoption; council members and staff said the Planning & Zoning meeting will be the next procedural step.
