The Henderson City Council unanimously approved the revised minimum housing code at its meeting Monday, putting in place an updated framework for making sure that dwellings – especially rental properties – are maintained to comply within acceptable guidelines.
“They adopted the code last night with the exception of Section F,” City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News Tuesday. Section F includes details about local agents, or points of contact, for properties located in the city.
Blackmon said City Attorney D. Rix Edwards is in the process of seeking clarification from the UNC School of Government to make sure the wording in the code is appropriate and follows state laws. “At a later time, that section could be added back to the code, with some adjustments to the language,” Blackmon explained.
During a work session last month, council members reviewed various changes and updates that had been proposed to the existing code; there was some concern about whether the city could require designation of a local contact in case of an emergency repair at a rental home. State law prohibits registrations of rental properties by municipalities and council members wanted to get guidance about the proper language used in the code to ensure compliance with state rules.
At the time, Blackmon said the city may choose to make naming a local contact person voluntary.
Council Member Melissa Elliott told WIZS News Tuesday that the proposed draft had included the word “agent” and council decided to change the term to “point of contact.”
The rationale behind that part of the code, Elliott said, “is just to have someone local that we can reach out to when a landlord has a house that may have an emergency repair or something that needs to be done” and the landlord lives outside North Carolina.
In today’s written correspondence about the outcome from Monday’s meeting, Blackmon said the city could get registered agent information from the Secretary of State’s office or from lease agreements, which residents submit as part of an application to the city’s water department.
The updates to the city’s minimum housing code is just one step that local officials and the larger community are considering as part of revitalization efforts in and around the downtown area.