City Council Workshop

07-10-2018 City Council Workshop Agenda

Call to Order…..00:00:00

Mayor Dale Massad called the meeting to order.

Pledge of Allegiance…..00:00:06

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Roll Call…..00:00:24

The roll was called. Mayor Dale Massad, Vice Mayor Terrence Rowe, Councilwoman Jennie Sorrell, Councilman William Dittmer, Councilman Richard Bloom, City Attorney James Mathieu, and City Manager Vincent Lupo were present.

Announcements…..00:00:43

Mayor Dale Massad made an announcement to the Public that due to the limited time frame, anyone who wished to speak would have two minutes, and no one would be permitted to give their time to another patron.

Comments from the General Public…..00:00:44

Comments were permitted in the workshop discussion.

Discussion of Residential Maintenance Standards…..00:02:13

Dolores Reed: 7814 Pier Rd. – Stated that she had prepared a presentation, however, it was too long to fit the two minute limit. She suggested a special ordinance for rentals, requiring a landlord permit and annual inspections. She also suggested using the permit fees from each neighborhood to institute an incentive, awarded to the house that cleaned itself up the most during the incentive period. She explained that it would encourage the houses in that area to keep their homes cleaned up.

Katelyn Overbeck: 8100 Brighton Dr. – Advised that she road around the City with the Police Chief as Council suggested to gain an understanding of the areas needing to be addressed. She suggested adding standards to the ordinance to address the non-residential areas as well. She provided some suggestions to change the verbiage so the terms were better defined and therefore understood and asked for clarification on a portion of the code specifying three days to correct something following a weather emergency instead of 3 weeks.

Nick Overbeck: 8100 Brighton Dr. – Suggested the City establish a rental fee toward subsidized services (i.e. public safety).

Ronald McDonald: 7610 Deedra Cir. – Advised of his experience in the real estate and construction fields. He stated that any area lacking minimum housing standards are subject to becoming blighted. He explained that a well enforced minimum housing code promotes continuity and promotes increased property values.

Pat Rogers: 4838 Sunset Blvd. – Advised that she owns four homes in the City, three of which are rentals and her tenants are long-term residents. She explained that she did not want to be penalized for the poor management of other rental properties. She stated that she was concerned with the terms of the proposed ordinance and requested clarification on who determined the definition of a nuisance. Ms. Rogers suggested the City enforce the standards currently in place. She expressed that she was concerned that the code was closer to the standards of an HOA.

Bill Colombo: 7810 Chasco St. – Stated that he agreed with the points made by other speakers. He referenced the City code referring to the length of time citizens are allowed to speak at a meeting. Mr. Colombo explained that the City could utilize and add to the existing housing standards already in code. He addressed a concern with the proposed standards regarding unregistered or stored cars. He suggested using an ad hoc committee to review and revise the proposed ordinance. He also suggested changing the code to address exterior maintenance only and suggested adding verbiage about code enforcement entering the residence only when invited by the resident.

Lysia Marie: 5143 Limestone Dr. – Explained that she chose to move to this area instead of an HOA neighborhood because she wanted unique neighbors instead of cookie-cutter homes. She disputed the subjective terms in the proposed code.

Sheri Sharer: 7802 Davis St. – Stated that she agreed with the statements of the other speakers. She wished to reiterate that the proposed ordinance may breed ill-will between neighbors and allow disputing neighbors to use the new standards to feud with one another. She stated that she understands the desire to raise house values but believed there was an existing ordinance that could address many of the concerns of the Council, but it wasn’t being enforced. She asked Council to take into consideration the concern of parts of the proposed ordinance.

Sandra Spaldi: 8612 Green St. – Requested to have a statement in the beginning of the proposed ordinance, no one can enter a home without being invited. She did not want her City to perform like a deed restricted community because the houses and landscapes are unique. She reminded Council that they blighted the City to obtain CRA funds, but to be aware that if the City is no longer considered blighted, those funds may not remain. She suggested having a rental inspection when there are changes in tenancy within the rental inside the City limits. She also suggested requiring doors to large appliances be removed before they are put out for trash to avoid a curious child becoming trapped. She explained that some of the language of the proposed ordinance does not make sense and should be in laymen’s terms. Ms. Spaldi inquired about notification procedures from Code Enforcement.

Matthew Todd: Congress St. – Thanked Council for having a workshop and the citizens for attending. He stated that property values are affected by neighboring property owners who don’t maintain their property or structures. He described a personal experience with purchasing multiple properties. He pointed out the advanced education of the lawyers serving the City who worked on the proposed ordinance.

Candace Snell: 5122 Limestone Dr. – Explained that she stores a lot of equipment on her property and is concerned with how much it will cost her to come into compliance with the terms set forth in the proposed ordinance, to either purchase a covering or to store the equipment off-site. In reference to safe guarding children from hazards, she explained that no person of any age should be on her property without permission. She also expressed concern about the interior standards.

Mayor Massad made a statement about working with the community to help fund some residential improvements for some citizens.

Bob Reed: 7814 Pier Rd. – Provided an outline of a sample rental inspection code. He suggested an inspection for each rental unit with the property turned over to a new tenant.

Councilman Richard Bloom reviewed his notes of the suggestions made by the public. He explained that he heard some suggestions to add to the standards.

Vice Mayor Terrence Rowe asked City Attorney James Mathieu if the changes suggested by the public were warranted. Mr. Mathieu responded by explaining that he did not write the codes, however, used the verbiage in the county’s code. He further explained that the definitions mentioned by the public were decided on by judges when they are addressed in civil court. Mr. Mathieu referenced the City of New Port Richey’s landlord licensing division, which was suggested by the public to develop a similar system.

Councilman William Dittmer inquired further about the landlord licensing system and discussed it further with Mr. Mathieu.

City Manager Vincent Lupo explained that the City has planned to propose similar standards for both the commercial and industrial areas of the City. He explained some of the specifics that the City planned to address. He assured Council and the public that the Code Compliance staff were bound by the laws set forth by the state and federal governments before those set forth by the local government. He further explained that they were not permitted, under the United States Constitution to enter into a home without a warrant or permission from the resident.

Mayor Massad spoke to some of the concerns addressed by the public.

Councilman Bloom addressed a few concerns mentioned by the public and provided a visual reference.

Councilwoman Jennie Sorrell asked the public if they all took the opportunity to express their thoughts.

Bill Colombo: 7810 Chasco St. – Suggested removing all references to interior terms of the proposed standards and develop those terms in a rental specific ordinance. He also reminded Council that once the ordinance is in place, it takes a number of steps to remove or alter the terms, and advised them to make those changes now, before wasting time.

Councilman Dittmer discussed some of Mr. Colombo’s comments with him.

Pat Rogers: 4838 Sunset Blvd. – Inquired about allowing rental properties to benefit from the CRA grant as well to help keep the rentals in better condition also.

Mr. Lupo responded to her inquiry about the CRA grant that was still be developed by staff.

Kathy Todd: 8301 Congress St. – Advised that she was pleased that the City was moving forward with minimum housing standards to help raise the property values of the community and protect neighbors from being affected by run-down homes.

Bob Reed: 7814 Pier Rd. – Stated that he views the proposed code is aimed to address rental properties, he suggested adding more terms to the existing code to give Code Compliance some teeth.

Mr. Lupo responded to his comments and explained that he disagreed.

Councilwoman Sorrell asked Mr. Lupo to clarify the commercial and industrial codes he spoke of. Mr. Lupo responded and explained that some of the issues discussed would be addressed in the commercial codes that the staff is developing.

Katelyn Overbeck: 8100 Brighton Dr. – Addressed Mr. Lupo’s comments by asking why the commercial standards were not being addressed with the proposed standards. Mr. Lupo responded by explaining that it would be an overwhelming endeavor to address all of the standards all at once. Mrs. Overbeck pressed for an explanation why they could not be done all at once. Mayor Massad reiterated Mr. Lupo’s statements.

Candace Snell: 5122 Limestone Dr. -Stated that she believed the public would be able to better address their concerns if they had three minutes to speak. Mayor Massad advised that there were many people in attendance and only so much time that they needed to shorten the alotted time to accommodate everyone.

Adjourn…..00:59:51

Mayor Dale Massad adjourned without a motion.