Top right: Newton Mayor Michael Hansen. Top, from left: City Councilmembers Craig Trotter, Randy Ervin, Mark Hallam. Bottom, from left: Councilmembers Melissa Dalton, Evelyn George, Vicki Wade. | newtongov.org
Top right: Newton Mayor Michael Hansen. Top, from left: City Councilmembers Craig Trotter, Randy Ervin, Mark Hallam. Bottom, from left: Councilmembers Melissa Dalton, Evelyn George, Vicki Wade. | newtongov.org
The Newton City Council recently held a discussion on inspecting rental houses in the community.
Despite having a short agenda and a short meeting, the council took time at their Jan. 3 meeting to discuss the rental housing issue and landlords. Councilmember Evelyn George brought up the topic, sharing how she and Councilmembers Craig Trotter and Randy Ervin took some time to meet with landlords in the area during rental housing- and commercial inspections. The question was brought up as to why the City has these inspections, and George discussed the reasons. The City wants to ensure that all residents of the community have quality, safe housing; and that the income-producing properties of the city are maintained. This ensures the vitality and future of the city and lets City officials know if there might be some issues with a site in the near future.
"Now, for rental housing, Newton is required by law to conduct those based on the size of our community," George said in the meeting. "And the council chose to implement this program for commercial properties, really because of the issues we were having with the dangerous and dilapidated properties where we had some income-producing properties that the owners were taking the income and never investing it back in the property and then abandoning it when it became dilapidated. And then it became, you know, a City and a city taxpayer issue."
The City created the inspection process to address some issues in the community and has been performing inspections for three years now.
The landlords did provide a list of things about the inspection program that concerned them. The list included issues such as boxes of clothes in a garage, storing a disassembled bed, storing cardboard boxes, broken tree limbs, and bedroom ceiling heights. They also questioned the lack of a report that informs them how they did on the inspections, what they could improve on and what they did well. They wanted more consistent inspections and a review process.
George agreed, noting that she thinks the council should look at and clarify some of the guidelines and requirements for the process. Other councilmembers agreed with her, saying that after three years it was time to reevaluate the program.
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