City Council Committees

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING January 29, 2025 12:00 p.m. Councilman Denny Whayne Conference Room (Bush Building, 4th floor) 840 Boonville Avenue MEMBERS PRESENT: Heather Hardinger, Chair; Derek Lee; and Callie Carroll. MEMBERS ABSENT: Craig Hosmer. COUNCIL PRESENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Collin Quigley, Interim City Manager; Martin Gugel, Director of Building Development Services; Brad Musick, Assistant Director of Building Development Services; Jordan Paul, City Attorney; Duke McDonald, Assistant City Attorney; Anita Cotter, City Clerk; and Kristina D’Andrea, Executive Secretary. GUESTS: Alice Barber, Springfield Tenants Unite; Sarah Barnts, Springfield Tenants Unite; Becky Volz, Neighborhood Advisory Council; Brent Haselhorst, Springfield Apartment and Housing Association; and Rusty Worley, West Central Neighborhood Association. Councilmember Heather Hardinger, Chair, called the meeting to order at approximately 12:02 p.m., and roll call was conducted. Present: Derek Lee, Callie Carroll, and Heather Hardinger. Absent: Craig Hosmer. Councilmember Callie Carroll moved to approve the minutes of the December 18, 2024, meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Lee and approved by the following vote: Ayes: Carroll, Lee, and Hardinger. Nays: None. Absent: Hosmer. Abstain: None. Collin Quigley, Interim City Manager, introduced Martin Gugel, Director of Building Development Services, to review changes to the proposed Rental Inspection Program. Mr. Gugel presented data for fire-related civilian casualties from 2020 to September 2024, as requested by Councilmember Lee at the previous Community Involvement Committee meeting. Mr. Gugel presented the proposal for scaling the rental inspection program, which would be a twelve-month pilot program in the West Central Neighborhood Service District. Councilmember Hardinger asked if additional items could be added to build upon the framework of the program. Mr. Gugel responded affirmatively. Approved by the Community Involvement Committee on 07-16-25 1 Mr. Gugel presented a list which showed the number and types of rental units in the West Central Neighborhood. He reviewed a comparison of the top ten neighborhood service areas with oldest average age of structure, and noted West Central was number three on the list. Mr. Gugel presented the West Central Neighborhood service request heat map with data from 2020 to 2024. Mr. Gugel explained the goals for the pilot program in West Central were to provide better housing, collect data to learn and improve the program, and build processes and policies to be used across the city. Councilmember Lee explained his reason for the pilot program was to obtain accurate data to determine the need and feasibility for expansion across the city and asked if this could be added as a goal. Councilmember Hardinger expressed her opinion this pilot program would accomplish Councilmember Lee’s goal. Mr. Gugel responded he would add Councilmember Lee’s goal recommendation and noted data would be collected over a twelve-month period, and recommendations would be presented to City Council to obtain further direction. Mr. Gugel discussed the plan for the first year of the program. He outlined what would occur during the start-up phase in the first three months, inspections and fixes in months four through six, and the review phase in the last three months. Councilmember Carroll inquired about the implementation of education with highlighted items of importance. Mr. Gugel responded training would be provided to property owners, as well as educational materials they could then provide to their tenants. Cora Scott, Director of Public Information and Civic Engagement, responded it was important the community understood why and where the pilot program was being conducted. Mr. Quigley asked for confirmation the goal for the rental inspection program would still be a 5- year program with a minimum 20-percent contact rate. Mr. Gugel answered affirmatively. Councilmember Hardinger asked for a midterm update with additional needs being provided to the Committee. Mr. Gugel responded a determinate report could be provided. Mr. Quigley clarified an update would be provided to all members of City Council. Councilmember Lee asked for a bullet point to be added which would ask staff to determine if the data from the pilot program provided a basis for the rental inspection program to be continued. He discussed the need for the ability to renew and adjust. Mr. Quigley noted this could be added to “success measures” as part of what the City would want to accomplish, and City Council could then determine the need to continue with the rental inspection program. Mr. Gugel discussed resources and costs related to the pilot program. Councilmember Carroll asked if the inspectors and administrative assistant would be additional staffing specifically for the pilot program. Mr. Gugel responded affirmatively. Councilmember Carroll asked the status Approved by the Community Involvement Committee on 07-16-25 2 of hiring. Mr. Gugel responded applications had been received for the vacancies for inspectors, and training would be based on the applicants’ work background. Mr. Quigley clarified there was a qualification checklist the applicants would have to meet. Councilmember Carroll asked how costs were recouped. Mr. Gugel responded with a discussion of one-year and on-going costs and potential revenue. Mr. Quigley clarified the inspection fee was not an hourly cost. Councilmember Carroll asked how to convince landlords to register for the program. Mr. Gugel responded education would be provided, and penalties would be applied if landlords did not register with the City. Councilmember Hardinger expressed her opinion communication would be a key factor to both the landlords and tenants. She discussed the importance of the public education being seen as an opportunity to provide a positive approach. Councilmember Carroll recommended good outcomes be celebrated. Councilmember Lee discussed the additional licensing for staffing and asked about costs for licensing. Mr. Gugel noted there would not be additional fees on the licensing side. Mr. Quigley pointed out a calculation error in the “1-year revenue versus cost (all estimated rental units)” slide. Mr. Gugel advised this would be corrected. Councilmember Hardinger inquired about the subject cities with similar rental inspection programs and asked if there was any information regarding their fee structures, how costs affected their budgets, and the economic impact of the program. Mr. Gugel responded the fee structures fluctuated but were similar to Springfield; staff had asked but had not received a clear answer on how self-sustaining their programs were, and staff would contact the cities to inquire about their programs’ economic impact. Councilmember Hardinger asked about allowing property owners to hire their own inspector. Mr. Gugel responded property owners usually prefer City inspectors because they were less expensive than private inspectors. Councilmember Hardinger asked if the City would accept inspections already performed. Mr. Gugel responded the City may go ahead and perform an audit on the dwelling to ensure City standards were met. Mr. Gugel discussed success measures after collecting data in the first year of the pilot program. Mr. Quigley noted the “Success Measures” slide correlated with Councilmember Lee’s concerns and a percentage of properties in noncompliance with the safety code should be added. Councilmember Lee noted life safety issues needed to be items for consideration to justify the need for the program. Mr. Gugel discussed the 12-month review and decision points. Mr. Quigley inquired about the referral and ordinance process. Councilmember Hardinger asked if an ordinance was required to execute a pilot program. Mr. Quigley answered affirmatively and discussed options for a Resolution and draft Ordinance to be presented to the full City Council and then referred back to the Committee. Councilmember Hardinger expressed her preference for the full City Council to weigh in with their opinions of the pilot program. Approved by the Community Involvement Committee on 07-16-25 3 Councilmember Lee expressed his preference for ordinance language to be submitted to the full City Council as it would be more meaningful. Mr. Quigley discussed the option for a Resolution for the pilot program to be presented to City Council and then referred back to the Committee for the draft ordinance. Councilmember Hardinger advised the Committee was given the directive to determine the feasibility of the rental inspection program. She recommended presenting a recommendation to the full City Council with a draft ordinance attached. It was the consensus of the Committee to have an ordinance for the pilot program drafted for review by the Community Involvement Committee at the next meeting in February. Anita Cotter, City Clerk, noted the next meeting was scheduled for February 19, 2025, at the same time as another meeting. It was determined the draft ordinance would be presented at the March 19, 2025, Community Involvement Committee meeting. Councilmember Lee noted the decision points were presented for the Committee to discuss. Councilmember Hardinger inquired about stakeholder feedback. Mr. Gugel responded landlords expressed concerns regarding the vacancy gap between tenants when waiting for the City to complete inspection of their property. Sarah Barnts, Springfield Tenants Unite, asked about the inclusion of Jenny Lind apartments in the pilot program. Mr. Gugel responded by explaining issues with lack of consent from tenants to enter their apartments. Councilmember Lee noted federal inspections were being performed at Jenny Lind. Councilmember Hardinger also noted the pilot program was a proof of concept with criteria to be met, and as the program evolved, other types of housing could be included in the rental inspection program. Mr. Gugel pointed out complaint-based inspections would still be performed. Brent Haselhorst, Springfield Apartment and Housing Association, asked if consent from both tenant and landlord would be required for inspections. Mr. Gugel responded the City would ask for consent from both. He acknowledged the City may not always obtain tenant and landlord consent, and the City would have to perform inspections without permission from both parties. It was the consensus of the Committee for the pilot program to start with single family and duplex properties with scheduled inspections. Councilmember Lee moved to adjourn. Councilmember Carroll seconded the motion, and it was approved by the following vote: Ayes: Lee, Carroll, and Hardinger. Nays: None. Absent: Hosmer. None. Abstain: None. The meeting adjourned at 1:08 p.m. Prepared by Kristina D’Andrea Approved by the Community Involvement Committee on 07-16-25 4