CC Minutes - 05/21/12 Public Hearing

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Eugene Code, 1971, and providing an immediate effective date. Roll call vote: The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. Mayor Piercy asked that the council be provided with a timeline for the City's plans to vacate City Hall. 2. PUBLIC HEARING: An Ordinance Concerning the Rental Housing Code; Amending Section 8.440 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and Repealing the Rental Housing Code Sunset Date City Manager Ruiz introduced the topic of the hearing, a code amendment to remove the sunset from the Rental Housing Code found in Section 8.440 of the Eugene Code and to provide for multi -year billing. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. David Russell, Ward 2, asked the council to retain the Rental Housing Code's sunset clause to allow the council an opportunity to consider issues related to the code. He believed in personal responsibility on the part of landlords and tenants and opposed governmental interference in that relationship. Dennis Casady, Ward 2, served as a landlord representative on the subcommittee of the Housing Policy Board (HPB) charged to review the Rental Housing Code. He reported that the subcommittee recommended the program be extended for four years to accommodate a two -year billing process to save administrative costs and that the sunset be retained. Mr. Casady agreed about the sunset, suggesting its retention would help address the trust issues that existed between landlords and the City, highlighted by the council's April action to eliminate the sunset after the subcommittee and staff's recommendation to the contrary. He questioned the extent of the items proposed to be regulated by the code and said window screens were not a sign of habitability. He would no longer provide appliances to his tenants if they were regulated by the Rental Housing Code. Robin Bloomgarden, Ward 7, asked what was done for tenants with the money raised by the Rental Housing Program and how she could find out how the money was spent. She understood that some councilors wanted to mandate licensed professional management for apartment units of ten or more and questioned why she would not be allowed to manage her properties as she chose. Such a requirement would cause her to raise her rents and make it harder for people to find decent places to live. She supported retention of the sunset. Scott Smith, Ward 5, encouraged the council to retain the sunset and avoid adding additional requirements to the code. He did not think the complaints the City received rose to the level of need expressed by the original proponents of the code. The cost per complaint was very high compared to any benefit provided by the program. He believed the code worked against housing affordability and housing diversity. He encouraged the council to review the Housing Wanted section of Craigslist to see the types of low- income housing that people sought. Those residents' choices were further restricted by the code. He questioned the program's high administrative costs. Vikki Perpinan, Springfield, advocated for the Rental Housing Code on behalf of low- income people because low- income people lacked access to legal services, were unaware of their rights under the law, and had few attorneys available to assist them. Michael Steffen, Ward 2, Rental Owners Association of Lane County, was concerned that the council rejected the recommendations of City staff and the HPB subcommittee about the sunset. He said the MINUTES— Eugene City Council May 21, 2012 Page 2 Regular Meeting