City Council tweaks inspections, fees

Among numerous objections raised by skeptics of the city’s new rental inspection and licensing program, one concern has been the likelihood that estimated fees associated with the program would change over time — or sooner.

One such change occurred Tuesday during a Meadville City Council meeting that lasted a mere 25 minutes, but the fee revision proved less momentous than some might have feared.

Council members voted 4-0 to amend the previously adopted schedule of fees for various city services. Councilwoman Autumn Vogel did not attend the meeting.

The only change to the fee schedule, City Manager Maryann Menanno noted, was to lower the cost of transferring a rental unit registration from $10 to $9.

After the meeting, Menanno said the $1 change was recommended after a reassessment of the staff time and resources needed for executing such a transfer.

Council members also gave unanimous preliminary approval to minor changes to the rental registration ordinance itself. The changes, Menanno told council, were intended to clarify which specific fees were intended as part of the program. The ordinance does not specify rates for those fees, which are set separately through the schedule of fees established separately via resolution.

The revision to the rental registration ordinance lists fees for registration, inspection, reinspection, and sale or transfer of licenses. The amendments to the ordinance are expected to be up for final approval when council meets Aug. 15.

Councilman Jim Roha noted that there are advantages to defining the various fees in the ordinance but setting the exact amount of the fees in a separate resolution that is approved annually in January.

“By doing it this way,” he said, “rather than having to advertise an ordinance every time you want to change it, you can do it by resolution.”

State law requires that municipalities advertise in advance their intent to vote on ordinances. No advertisements are required for resolutions. The city’s 2023 budget includes $17,500 for such advertising.

Minor revisions to the city’s property maintenance code were also unanimously OK’d. Among the changes was a new requirement for carbon monoxide detectors in residences where fossil fuels are used as a heat source or for other purposes. Council had previously made a check for carbon monoxide detectors part of the rental licensing inspection.

Roha, the only member of council who opposed the rental licensing program, pointed out that while the city will inspect rental units and confirm the presence of the detectors, nothing will be done to confirm the presence of such devices in owner-occupied residences.

“To be clear, every residence will be required to have the carbon monoxide detector, but since single-family owner-occupied are not included,” he said, referring to the lack of inspections for owner-occupied residences, “they’ll be missed.”

With regard to owner-occupied residences, Roha continued, the detector requirement is likely to be enforced only under very specific circumstances.

“We would be citing people,” he said, “for not having a carbon monoxide detector in their home after their home burns down.”

Mayor Jaime Kinder, who has been a strong supporter of the licensing program since she campaigned for office, acknowledged Roha’s point but argued it was already the case for other elements of the property maintenance code.

“Unfortunately, that happens a lot,” she said. “We do lots of stuff that is against property maintenance and it doesn’t get found out until there’s a fire. I wish there was a better system. Does anybody have an idea for a better system?”

While no one offered a suggestion in the meeting, critics of the rental registration ordinance have previously argued that all residences, not just rental units, could be inspected. Asked about that possibility after the meeting, Kinder stuck to arguments that she and other supporters have made previously. Rental units are being operated as commercial concerns, she noted, and warrant a higher level of government regulation than private residences.

In other discussions related to the rental licensing ordinance, Menanno also reiterated that the first round of rental license applications are due Oct. 31. Nearly 850 applications were mailed to rental property owners last month.

While city staff members prepare for rental unit inspections, commercial inspections conducted by Meadville Central Fire Department have been paused, according to Menanno.

“We are looking to realign the fire department inspections to better coincide with our rental registration program inspections,” she said. “I will update council as that continues to progress.”

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at [email protected].

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