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06 <br />"atnada <br />515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN 55117-1600 <br />(651) 766-4029 / FAX: (651) 766-4048 <br />www.ci.little-canada.mn.us <br />MEMORANDUM <br />MAYOR <br />John Keis <br />COUNCIL <br />Rick Montour <br />Michael McGraw <br />Tom Fischer <br />Christian Torkelson <br />ADMINISTRATOR <br />Joel R. Hanson <br />TO: Mayor Keis and Members of the City Council <br />FROM: Annie Leibel, City Intern <br />DATE: July 22, 2015 <br />RE: Amend Section 3200 Rental Housing Licensing <br />The Rental Housing Ordinance was last updated in 2011 during which time the City had been <br />dealing with a number of problem renters. Issues included non-compliant owners of rental <br />housing as well as high levels of crime on rental properties. The Ordinance and license processes <br />have since changed slightly and the Ordinance should reflect current practices. <br />The Ordinance currently includes the STAR Program which is meant to raise owner awareness <br />of common issues with rental properties and how to avoid them. This program also benefitted <br />owners by lowering penalty charges as a result of problem renters. Although this program was <br />meant to benefit owners, membership was never very high and the City has never applied any <br />penalties much less exemptions to them. I am recommending that the STAR program be taken <br />out of the Ordinance for clarification and administrative coherence. <br />Another change is the addition of a family exemption clause in the ordinance. This was changed <br />in the Ordinance in 2009, but the Ordinance does not specifically state who is deemed family. <br />The provision exempts family members including parents, children, siblings, grandparents, <br />grandchildren, step-parents, step -children, step -grandparents, and step -grandchildren. I also have <br />a family member exemption affidavit attached which we will use with this provision going <br />forward. <br />Other minor changes to the ordinance include correction of the penalties for violations pertaining <br />to renters, but assessed to owners, correction of current inspection practices and license terms, <br />and minor grammar changes. <br />Recommended Actions: <br />Replace the current Rental Housing Licensing Ordinance with the amended version to reflect the <br />proposed changes listed above and included in the attached ordinance. <br />