ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Community Development Director with a Request to ADOPT an ORDINANCE Amending Chapter 5 of the CODE of the City of Peoria Relating to REGISTRATION OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY and INSPECTION OF DWELLINGS.
Body
BACKGROUND: Staff recommends making multiple changes to the non-owner-occupied registration and inspection of dwelling ordinance.
The first change is based on a recommendation from a group of landlords who have been meeting with City staff and elected officials over the last year to improve City processes related to rental property. The group suggested requiring registration of newly purchased property at the time of the real estate closing. They feel that this would improve the registration process and bring more properties into compliance with the ordinance. The current ordinance requires registration within thirty days of acquisition.
The second change is related to the disproportionally high late fee assessed to owners who fail to register in a timely manner. Prior to last year, the base registration fee was $150 and the late fee was $100. Property owners who attended the annual training session qualified for a discounted rate of $75 per property. Property owners who failed to register their properties in a timely manner were not eligible for the discount regardless of whether they attended the training session.
In 2018, the registration fee was reduced to $75 per property for property owners who met various requirements including not having any outstanding fines, fees, or taxes owed to the City and not being convicted of criminal housing management. A large majority of property owners did qualify for the $75 per property rate. The late penalty was never adjusted to align with the new registration rate. Staff recommends reducing the late fee for properties qualifying for the $75 per property registration fee from $100 to $50.
The final change relates to the requirement of subm...
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