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City manager proposes rental-inspection program; some residents warn it could push landlords out
Summary
City Manager Michael Johnson proposed a rental-inspection program to proactively address housing blight by requiring inspections and occupancy permits for rental properties; Council members asked for more detail on enforcement, fees and how to hold out-of-area landlords accountable, and a public commenter warned the program could harm landlords.
City Manager Michael Johnson recommended the city consider a rental-inspection program intended to ensure rental properties meet habitability and maintenance codes and to prevent properties from deteriorating to the point of demolition.
Johnson said similar programs in other Ohio cities use building-department inspections and occupancy permits to incentivize landlords to fix issues and protect tenants living in substandard conditions. "This would be a proactive attempt to fix conditions of housing before it reaches the demolition stage," Johnson said and asked Council to schedule a planning-committee meeting to study the approach.
Ms. Hoover and other council members pressed for details about enforcement: how inspection fees would be set, whether the city has legal authority to deny occupancy, and how the city would pursue owners who live out of state and neglect properties. "We already have ordinances in place to combat dilapidated structures," Ms. Hoover said, asking how the city would follow through on citations that historically go unpaid or unremedied.
Resident Vergal Elkinton used the public forum to oppose the idea, arguing a rental-registration or inspection requirement could drive landlords away. Council did not adopt the program at the meeting and referred the concept to a planning committee discussion for more details on fee structures, enforcement mechanisms and administrative procedures.
