05-05-1997 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Item No. Staff Report No. 9'0/077 IU5 Meeting Date: May 5, 1997 Type of Business: Work Session WK:Work Session;PH:Public Hearing; CA:Consent Agenda;CB:Council Business City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Mayor and City Council From: Pamela Sheldon, Community Development Director Item Title/Subject: Discussion of Point-of-Sale Inspection Program Date of Report: May 2, 1997 Summary: The City has received a request from Don Hereau, representing residents in the Towns Edge Mobile Home Park, asking that a point-of-sale inspection program be instituted in Mounds View (see attached letter). The concern expressed by Mr. Hereau is that there is pattern of selling substandard mobile homes to unsuspecting buyers in Towns Edge Terrace. These mobile homes tend to be a blight on the mobile home park, because the seller does only cosmetic repairs and the buyers do not have the financial ability to repair the more serious problems, which then leads to the mobile home being resold or abandoned. The question before City Council is whether you want an ordinance prepared which would institute a point-of-sale inspection program in Mounds View which would include the mobile home parks. • Discussion: There are several issues related to this request raised by City Attorney. First, any program instituted would have to apply to all units sold in Mounds View and not be limited to the mobile home parks. So City Council must consider if you want to institute a city-wide program. Second, Minnesota State Law includes a requirement that a"safety feature disclosure form"be provided by a seller to the prospective buyer, for in-park sales of mobile homes(see Section 327C.07 Subd. 3.a., Subd. 4 and Subd. 8 which is attached). The City Attorney feels that State Law may preempt a local inspection program at the time of sale, because of the detailed procedure set forth in State law. Mr. Long felt it may be possible for the City to require that a copy of the safety feature disclosure form be filed with the City, so we know that it has been completed. He would want to research further if the City could require inspection of other items at the time of sale. Staff contacted Carol Mueller at Colonial Village, and she said that this form is being done for mobile homes sold in that park. We contacted Larry Vogt who handles enforcement of requirements on mobile home sales for the State. He said that the dealer's license held by the owner of Towns Edge Terrace had been revoked at one time because of failure to follow this procedure. The situation was corrected, but he did not know the current situation. The City Council may want to send a letter to Mr. Vogt asking for an investigation into whether Towns Edge Terrace is complying with State law. The procedure in State law requires the buyer to do repairs to make sure the safety features are in place, and file inspection reports of the repairs with the park owner. State law also allows the park owner to make inspections and require that mobile home owners do repairs in order to comply with park rules regarding maintenance. State law presumes that the park owner is