11-24-08 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 24, 2008 The Adminisriator noted that the Council will have to decide how frequently unit inspections are to be made. In South St. Paul the requirement had been that all units are inspected once every two years. That is being changed to a four year inspection cycle. The Administrator noted that there are various scenarios for inspecting: every unit each year, 50% of units one year and the other 50% the next, etc. The Administrator stated that his recommendation would be to inspect units not less than every two years. Keis asked if factors could be built into the ordinance that would trigger inspections more frequently. The Administrator replied that inspections could be done based on complaints, and in some cases it may be necessary to obtain an administrative warrant to inspect a unit if access has been denied. The Administrator noted that a unit will not be issued a rental license if it has not been inspected. The Administrator also indicated that he would like to add some provisions relative to outdoor issues such as storage, parking, etc. Keis asked if the City can have more stringent standards for rental property than for owner-occupied property. The City Administrator replied that it could given these are conditions of licensure. The City Attorney agreed, noting that the City is regulating a class of property. The Administrator noted that the proposed ordinance requires aCrime- Free/Drug-Free Lease Addendum. Lisa Peilen, MN Multi-Housing Association, indicated that the City of St. Louis Park requires 8 hours of crime free training for either owners or property managers. This now includes rental townhouses and condos. Keis asked the cost of this training. Peilen was not sure, but indicated that she would provide the City with contact information. The City Administrator indicated that the Sheriffls Department provides the training, but only about once every two years. Blesener suggested that it might be possible to have the Sheriff provide this training at the onset of the City's licensing program to get things started. McGraw asked how often the training is required. Peilen replied only once, but was not sure if training is again required when managers change. She will find out this information. The City Administrator also pointed out that the unit inspections will help the City out from a fire inspection standpoint, allowing the Fire Marshal to concentrate more on the common areas. The Administrator then pointed out the issue of rental license fee, noting previous discussion focused on a base fee of $100 per building with an additional fee of $5 per unit. He noted that South St. Paul's fee is $25 per unit. Blesener noted that Goldmark, owners of Montreal Courts, own complexes in both West St. Paul and Saint Louis Park each of which have rental licensing ordinances. Allan asked if Goldmark participates in the