The stage is set for the Henderson City Council to possibly approve a revised minimum housing code at their August meeting. Updates to the code were reviewed during a called meeting of the City Council at noon on Wednesday, and Mayor Eddie Ellington told WIZS Thursday the changes in code are needed and called current enforcement “mediocre at best.”
Ellington said the city needs more code officers to address the challenges of enforcement. “This has been an ongoing 20-year troublesome problem that is holding our city back and we’ve paid the price for it, especially with our older neighborhoods,” Ellington said to WIZS News Thursday.
But there were some concerns about some of the details contained in the document, such as requiring property owners to designate an authorized agent and provide that information to the city. City Attorney D. Rix Edwards is consulting the N.C. League of Municipalities/School of Government to determine what city leaders can and cannot ask of rental property owners. State law prohibits municipalities from having any type of registration of rental property owners, and City Manager Terrell Blackmon said Thursday that he hopes to get clarification about the language contained in the revised code.
Blackmon told WIZS that the intent simply is to have a person to contact in case of an emergency regarding a rental property.
“At this time, we are considering just making it voluntary for all landlords as we await legal interpretation,” Blackmon said. “This is a work in progress, but there will be changes to the current code,” he added.
Council member Garry Daeke said he thought most of the ordinance is good, but he said there are a few things to check on to ensure due process.
He said he felt it premature to call for additional code enforcement staff at this time. “That question is legitimate, at another time, and for our manager and staff to propose to Council once the process is finished and they submit a plan of action,” Daeke said.
Although Daeke had to leave the meeting before it concluded, he said Thursday that he also has concerns about the point of contact. “We need it, but the lien issue isn’t the answer,” he said.
Despite what he described as a “chaotic” meeting, Daeke said he felt he and his fellow Council members made a good start to address the code challenges.
Council member Sara Coffey echoed Daeke’s sentiments. “I’m real happy that we are moving forward with issues that we have been burdened with for quite some time now,” Coffey said in a written statement to WIZS.
“We still have a few tweaks and are going to have all that done by our August meeting,” she continued. “It be great to work together to help our citizens and our city to be more productive for the betterment of all.”
Another concern related to an increase in penalties assessed as a result of inspections resulting in code violations.
Blackmon observed that the City Council has decided “not to sit on their hands and do nothing. The penalties already exist and the increases are not out of bounds with the General Statutes.”
Ellington said the city’s future depends on clear action from Council and others.
“The business constituents have spoken, as noted by their submitted letter to the City and also being in attendance (at) every meeting since,” he stated. “We as leaders are faced with as I’ve said, ‘hard truths’ and difficult decisions. But the future direction of our City depends upon it. This is expected from us as a municipality.”
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