ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and the Community Development Director with a request to RECEIVE AND FILE a REPORT about Non-Owner Occupied Registration.
Body
BACKGROUND: Councilman Kelly requested a report back on the impact of the non-owner occupied registration fee.
Timeline of Non-Owner Occupied Property Registration in the city of Peoria
1995 - A one-time, annual registration fee was established. The fee was $25 per parcel ID.
2009- City Council changed the registration requirement to an annual registration fee for owning non-owner occupied property.
2011- City Council raised the registration fee but offered a discount to property owners who attended a two-hour educational seminar hosted by the Community Development Department. The fee was $50 for those who did not attend the training and $25 for those who did.
2015 - Registration fee was increased to $75 for those who attended the training and $150 for those who did not attend. The funds went into the general fund and allowed for the following expenditure increases in the general fund:
• Newly created Residential Police Officer position. (Center Bluff)
• Increased funding for vacant lot clearance. This program removed remaining scrub trees and shrubs, old fences, remaining foundations, and other visual blight.
• Increased frequency of City and Trustee lot cutting. By increasing the number of cuts per year, vacant lots maintained by the City were no longer a visually blighting influence on neighborhoods.
• Increased technology and tools for Code Enforcement. The use of technology to offset the reduction in Code Enforcement staff helped to increase productivity and responsiveness.
• Increased funding for board-ups. Additional funds not only allowed for more board-ups but allowed the City to explore the utilization of more secure and/or appropriate board-up materials, thus reducing the overall blighting influence of boarded windows and doors.
• Increased demolition budget. Funds remaining after the above items are funded focused on increasing the number of demolitions of blighted properties in Peoria. The removal of properties that are beyond repair made a significant and lasting positive impact on neighborhoods.
2018- Eliminated the requirement for property owners to attend training if they met certain criteria that demonstrated they were maintaining their properties. Responsible property owners would be required to pay $75.
2020 - Eliminated the requirement for all property owners to attend the training session and all properties were required to pay $75 per property.
Why do we have the fee?
The impact non-owner occupied properties have on our neighborhoods and the burden those properties have on our Code Enforcement staff is undeniable. In 2018:
• Non-owner occupied properties represented 30% of all parcels.
• Non-owner occupied properties represented 17% of all land area.
• Non-owner occupied properties represented 59% of all code violations.
• Non-owner occupied properties represented 78% of all cases of elevated blood-lead levels in children.
The non-owner occupied property registration fee helps to offset the cost that the City incurs enforcing Property Maintenance Codes and protecting our neighborhoods from some of the negative effects associated with non-owner occupied properties.
• Allows for updated annual contact information for non-owner occupied property owners
o Updated phone numbers and mailing addresses
o Community Development, Police, and Fire use the list often to contact landlords about issues related to their property
• Funds various Code Enforcement efforts as well as a residential police officer.
• Adds a layer of accountability to out of town investors and speculators.
• Empowers residents who own property adjacent to non-owner occupied units to contact landlords directly when issues occur.
Impact of the fee?
Staff does not believe that you can assess the impact of the fee without considering all the other actions that staff has taken over the years related to Code Enforcement. The rental registration is a small component of the Code Enforcement programs.
Other programs focused on non-owner occupied property
• Landlord Training from 2011 - 2020
• Self-inspection process for landlords and tenants
• Email and text notification for landlords
• Improved relations with Prairie State Legal Services
• Multiple tenant educational opportunities
• Creation of the City of Peoria Land Bank
• Creation of robust code enforcement education program
• Increased focus on engagement and educational efforts
• Increased code enforcement productivity
• Increased spending on demolitions
• Increased spending on environmental enforcement issues
• Improved technology for code enforcement which has improved service delivery
• Code enforcement emergency rehousing program
• Robust enforcement of the Property Maintenance Code
A snapshot of Code Enforcement actions over the last ten years related to improving our neighborhoods and housing stock in the City of Peoria:
• Demolished 630 dilapidated residential structures
• Issued 52,360 for environmental code issues
• Addressed 9,941 inoperable vehicles
• Issued 48,552 work orders to clean up private property
• Sent 9,744 structures to the Hearing Officer to come into compliance for housing issues
Staff believes the rental registration fee has served its purpose of improving the ability of staff to contact non-owner occupied property owners and it has provided funding to address the impact rental properties have on our community.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NA
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: Non-Owner-Occupied property registration is a tool used by neighborhood residents and City employees to provide effective service to our residents.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: NA
IMPACT IF DENIED: NA
ALTERNATIVES: NA
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: NA
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2017 - 2032 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Beautiful Peoria
2. Financially Sound City
3. Safe Peoria
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Reinvest in neighborhoods.
2. Reduce crime.
3. Have an efficient government.
DEPARTMENT: Community Development