Published: August 29, 2008 11:55 am      

New Albany committee starts work on registration

The need for registration of rental property is generally agreed upon by the three New Albany City Council members serving on a committee to research the issue.

Other policies — such as an inspection program of apartments and houses being rented to residents — may not get the same reaction of concord.

The committee — comprised of council members Pat McLaughlin, Steve Price and John Gonder — met for the first time Saturday after being formed by Council President Jeff Gahan.

Its mission is to research and report back on ways to make lax rental property owners more accountable as a means to making the city more appealing and safer.

Price — who has been renting property to New Albany residents for more than 20 years — said registration would make property owners responsible.

“We definitely want to upgrade our town, and some of the problem has been absentee landlords,” he said, adding registration should not be limited to just rental property.

Matt Denison, president of the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety, said Mayor Doug England has set code enforcement as a top issue.

He added that “everyone is pretty much in agreement” that rental registration is a must.

By having the names and contact information of property owners on a list, code enforcers would have an easier time tracking down responsible parties when a violation has occurred, Price said.

The city has dealt with cases in the past of code violations where the property owners could not be reached or lived several states away, city officials have confirmed.

Denison refers to them as “ghost owners.”

Code Enforcement Officer Pam Badger said there are many cases where property owners aren’t aware of city ordinances in terms of high grass and unsightly lots. But Denison said while they might not know the exact details, landlords should have a pretty good idea when things are getting out of hand.

“It’s a matter of common sense,” he said.

Lloyd Wimp attended the initial meeting and has been pushing for inspection and registration for several years. He said the committee is off to a good start and hopes action will follow the talk.

“All we’re trying to do is clean up our blighted areas,” Wimp said.

He supports registration for the same reasons as Price, but they disagree when it comes to inspection. Price believes the fees associated with annual examinations of property would be costly, ultimately being passed down to the renter.

“I try to put as much money as I can back into my property. If they keep adding fees and taxes upon taxes, it’s just harder for [property owners] to do the right thing,” he said.

Wimp said there are multiple ways to go about formatting an inspection system that would work without piling on costs to property owners and residents.

He suggests a minimal inspection fee to be paid each year with stiff penalties for those who violate the city’s laws. The money collected could go toward hiring additional code enforcement officers.

“We have to find what will work for New Albany,” Wimp said.

Denison said city officials are investigating a handful of ways that inspection could be implemented, but said it’s still up in the air as to whether or not the council will push for inspections.

There are cities around Indiana — including Kokomo and Evansville — that have inspection programs that range from no-nonsense to more lax, according to Wimp.

He said this is a public health and safety issue, since dilapidated houses and rental property that is not maintained can lead to fires and other dangers, impacting people who might not even live on the land in question.

The core of rental registration and possible inspection is to make sure problems like high grass, faulty wiring and other structural issues that threaten residents can be dealt with and property owners be held responsible.

Price believes another code enforcement officer could deal with most of those problems without relying on inspection.

Wimp said there’s no mistaking that renting property is a business, and it should be considered as such when enforcing laws. The notion of rental property being a trade also was expressed by Steve LaDuke, president of the city’s Building Commission, during a recent council meeting.

Residents in favor of stricter code implementation aren’t really pushing for new measures, just that the laws on the books be upheld, Wimp said.

He added that some new codes may need to be added to fully address the situation.

The committee will likely report back to the council within 60 days, according to Price. He said there’s no denying changes are needed.

“We all agree there are problems and we all want to do something about it,” he said.

Badger said communication also is a key to improving property issues.

“It’s about community involvement, because it takes all of us — we as a city and a community working together,” she said.



The Building Commission’s role

The committee is not focusing on razing houses, which is the job of Building Commissioner Ron Hartman. Price said he is doing a great job, along with the city’s building commission, of ridding New Albany of dangerous structures.

While the committee is focusing on rental registration for accountability, Denison said code enforcement and razing dangerous houses are connected, in that each help keep the city safer and attractive.

“We’re encouraged by how many issues the building commission has solved,” Denison said.

Many building owners who have been put on the commission’s watch list quickly respond to notices, according to Hartman. But some aren’t so cooperative.

“There are ones who don’t listen to us, and that’s the biggest hang-up,” Hartman said.

Such as with rental issues, Hartman sometimes is required to search long and hard to find who owns a dilapidated house. The commissioner has been able to get several property owners to pay up front for demolition costs.

Those who aren’t responsive still have to pay the fees associated with a demolition, which is usually about $5,000. The commission places tax liens on the properties to ensure they are reimbursed.

Denison said with the budget available for code enforcement and razing buildings, the city has to prioritize what to tackle. They aim for the lots and buildings that present the biggest hazard to the community, he said.

Hartman believes the headway in removing dilapidated structures will continue.

“We are progressing just like a ball that’s starting to roll faster and faster,” he said.