C.P. rental housing rules advance

CROWN POINT | A proposal for regulating rental housing in the city will get a public airing later this month.

The measure under consideration by the City Council requires registration of all rental units and a permit registration fee of $10 per rental unit.

Mayor David Uran said the ordinance's standards would give the city oversight of apartments and result in a more accurate count of rental unit inventory. The proposal also would give renters a voice, he said.

"It serves multiple purposes," Uran said.

A hearing on the ordinance, with an opportunity for public comment, is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at City Hall, 101 N. East St.

The measure had been discussed for nearly two years and been revised several times before the current version was written by the City Council ordinance committee.

"We would like to get things up to standard," said Councilman Bob Clemons, R-2nd, who is sponsoring the measure.

The ordinance "is not meant as a prelude to new apartments, but to give guidelines," Clemons said. "We want to clean up things that need to be cleaned up."

The proposed regulations would help prevent situations where a single-family home has been split into rental units, unknown to firefighters and emergency personnel called to the address, Uran said.

Rental-unit inspections would be recommended if complaints are filed, and a $50 fee could apply if a violation is found, according to the ordinance.

Getting the measure on the books by late spring could result in it being fully enforced by the start of 2013, Uran said.