Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents tell commissioners about sewage in basements, ask who to contact at health department
Summary
During public comment, residents described landlords allowing human waste to accumulate in occupied dwellings and asked the board to clarify who tenants should contact at the Marquette County Health Department; commissioners pointed to health-department staff and the warranty-of-habitability process as next steps.
During the public-comment period on April 14, Margaret Brown and other residents told the board that multiple tenants said their landlords had allowed human waste to accumulate in occupied basements and asked the county for guidance.
"A whole bunch of things go by, and I'm gnarly as heck... 3 or 4 people saying that sewage is in their basement," Brown said, and asked whom the tenants should contact at the county health department. She described the situation as "really horrible" and said she expected the health department to help guide responses.
Commissioners responded that the first call should be to the county health department’s environmental-health staff and suggested the new health-department director be contacted for case guidance. One commissioner also explained the warranty-of-habitability process as an option for tenants to withhold rent into an escrow account until problems are abated.
The board did not take formal action during the meeting but instructed commissioners/staff to follow up with the health department and to provide the public with contact information for complaints about unsafe housing conditions.
