Will Solon Council Add Inspections to Rental Registration Program?

Solon City Council will consider today a program that would require property owners to register their rental units on a yearly basis.

But the elephant in the room will be whether city council members want to require rental units to be inspected as well. Mayor Susan Drucker raised that possibility last week during the planning commission's discussion of the registration ordinance.

Drucker said that a member of council could insert inspections back into the ordinance, so long as it was approved by a majority of council.

A number of residents present at Wednesday's planning commission meeting are hoping council members do just that. City Council will hold a public hearing on this issue Monday at 7:30 p.m.

"There may only be only a handful of us, but I want to assure you I represent a much larger body," said resident Chris Bryant, who has been pushing city officials to reintroduce inspections.

Solon has long sought ways to better regulate the city's rental properties as a way to protect property values and neighborhood safety. 

The original rental ordinance turned down by council last year included inspections, which city council shied away from because of privacy concerns. Instead, council members asked planning director Rob Frankland to come up with an ordinance that just included registration.

Under the ordinance council will consider today, property owners would pay a nominal fee and log their rental properties with the city on an annual basis, providing names of any tenants.

It's yet to be seen if any council member will reintroduce inspections on Monday, but at least one, Ward 3 Councilwoman Toni Richmond, is a staunch advocate of inspections.

Richmond, who also serves on the planning commission, has argued that a registration-only ordinance is basically useless without an inspection component. Other planning commission members have argued that requiring rental properties to be registered is a good first step.

Richmond said that Solon is done with its growth phase and now must switch its attention to maintaining the properties and quality of the city. A rental inspection ordinance is a necessary step, she said.

"We need to maintain the properties we have here or we're going to start to slide," she said. "We need this, we're behind the curve. Three years ago we were behind the curve."