 |
|
|
|
|
Rental reviews on hold
STAFF WRITER City to issue more facts: Mayor orders suspension of inspection program through end of monthIn what is being described as a temporary move, the city's Building Department is suspending its inspections of residential rental units, stalling a practice that continues to draw criticism from apartment owners and tenants. Building Commissioner Chuck Perkey said the move was made this week at the request of Mayor Richard Hyde. But Perkey added that February was already scheduled to be a quiet month on the inspection front after the program was initiated last month. "We set up the schedule so that every other month would be an off month, for reinspections and paperwork and compliance issues," Perkey said. "But because of all the heat and misinformation going around out there, the mayor asked me if we wouldn't do any more new inspections this month. "He just asked me if this was a good time to slow it down until we can get some information out to the public," Perkey added. "He said, 'Is this a good time?' and I said, 'Yes, it is.' " Mel Metts of the Lake County Apartment Owners Association, which has labled the ordinance an invasion of privacy for tenants and a financial burden to landowners, described the city's decision as politically motivated. "We're happy that it's stopped, but we know it's only stopped until the elections are over," said Metts, noting that the inspections would resume less than a week after the Feb. 25 mayoral and aldermanic primary election. Incident at complex Metts also alleged that the decision emerged in the wake of an incident last week at a 49-unit apartment complex where 48 tenants declined to let inspectors enter, prompting the city to seek search warrants for each unit. He suggested that the suspension came a day after complaints to city officials from the residents. Perkey said the apartment owners association has been "scaring the hell out of people" and making the inspection program difficult to administer. City officials contend that the inspection ordinance, passed last year, is backed by the courts as a means of scrutinizing all rental properties for specific life-safety violations. "(The apartment owners) have got everyone convinced that we're conducting searches, and we're going to go through people's cupboards and their underwear drawers," said Perkey, adding that the city plans to address those concerns with a special newsletter to be mailed next week. "We're going to let people know that we're only there to do a housing inspection, and there will also be information in there from the (Lake County) Fair Housing Commission on tenants' rights," Perkey said. The mayor said he thinks there are "some misconceptions" about the program, and he added that the city is partly to blame. "The job we did publicizing this was probably not the best we could have done," Hyde said. "I think once people see what it's all about, they will have no problem with it ... This is all about the health and safety of the people who live in apartments. "You can't believe some of the things we've found with these inspections," Hyde said, describing a case where a landlord used sheets of drywall to subdivide one apartment into several living spaces. Meeting Tuesday The City Council, which will meet Tuesday instead of tonight due to Presidents' Day, is expected to address the suspension of the program, though Hyde said he doesn't expect any comprehensive review. Perkey said he anticipates that the inspections "will go on as usual in March." Metts indicated that his group plans to keep the program under a microscope. He said association members still feel that the program was installed to circumvent civil rights considerations and allow residential overcrowding searches under the guise of life-safety inspections. "We think that the city's motivation with this was political from the very beginning — to get some people re-elected," Metts said. "We've been meeting with the (mayoral and aldermanic) candidates to discuss the situation with them, and I think we've made some progress." The News Sun 02/17/03 |
Send mail to melmetts@graffrealty.com
with questions or comments about this web site.
|
