11-24-08 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 24, 2008 Star Program in those communities. The Administrator was not sure, but thought they routinely included in the Crime-Free-Drug-Free Lease Addendums. The Administrator indicated that Little Canada has 1,488 multi-family units plus rental single-family, townhouses, four-plexes, and condos. He estimated a total of 1,600 to 1,700 rental units. The Administrator noted that contract inspections will take far less time for the City, however, there will still be a lot of coordination and follow-up required by the City. McGraw suggested that the Administrator put together an estimate of City staff time on a per unit basis. He indicated that the per unit license fee should cover this time so that the cost of the program does not fall back on the taxpayer. The Administrator indicated that he would contact the City of South St. Paul to determine if they have any cost estimates. Allan asked what the City staff would be required to do to administer the program. The Administrator felt most of the work would be clerical-based in organizing and moving data around. There will be some oversight needed for this program, and the Administrator felt that he, the Fire Marshal, Building Official, and Code Enforcement Officer would all have involvement. With regard to the cost of unit inspection fees, the City Adminisri•ator reported that he discussed potential fees with an inspection firm. Based on the type of housing and number of units, this firm has several pricing sriuctures and discounts. The Administrator provided a listing of the many firms that do these types of inspections. The Administrator reported that in order to obtain a license the City of South St. Paul requires that inspectors be certified by either the Cities of St. Paul or Minneapolis, each of which have educational requirements. The Administrator reported that he asked about timelines for getting unit inspections done based on the fact that the licenses will be annual. It was thought that a July lst through June 30th license period may help ensure that all inspections are done prior to issuance of the licenses and would improve the availability of inspectors. The Administrator then began a review of the proposed ordinance, and noted one provision that would require the property manager to reside in the seven county metropolitan area. The Council felt the requirement was not necessary. Keis asked about the references to business entity given there was no definition of this term in the ordinance. The City Attorney reported that there is a legal definition of business entity and felt the reference was appropriate.