City Council to Dissect Rental Inspections Ordinance Tonight

With a decision nearing on whether to force Solon landlords to submit their rental properties to inspections, city council is set to dissect the proposed ordinance at a workshop tonight.

The workshop, set to begin at 7 p.m. at City Hall, will be open to the public but won't be open for public comment, said Vice Mayor and Ward 6 Councilman Ed Kraus.

If it was, city officials could expect to hear an earful. The controversial issue has prompted about whether rental units need to be inspected in an effort to protect public health and neighborhood integrity.

City officials have spent more than a year debating how they should regulate rental properties, which some say are magnets for trouble or are more likely to fall into disrepair and become a neighborhood health hazard and eye sore. 

Some want properties to be inspected, while others see that as going too far, and want to begin regulating rentals by requiring landlords to register their properties so the city can create a database.

Some residents feel the problem is exacerbated in Solon because there's a large number of homes sitting vacant or for sale, which makes them attractive as rental properties, especially since Solon has one of the best school systems in the state.

The debate has gone back and forth between city council and the planning commission, who have not been able to come up with a program that goes far enough to curb the perceived problems without going too far. 

The initial ordinance last year would have required inspections, but it was voted down. The next version required .

But that version was scrapped when city council voted in March to restore inspections to the ordinance. The work session was scheduled to sort through the issues. (Check out both versions of the ordinance at the city website.)

Stay tuned to Solon Patch Wednesday for coverage of the work session.