Onaway to again enforce rental inspection ordinance

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

The City of Onaway adopted a rental inspection ordinance in 2003 but has not been enforcing that ordinance for more than six years. That being said, every rental property in Onaway is in violation. The violation is not the fault of the landlords, but rather the city for not enforcing the ordinance.

It was last enforced in 2003-04 when Tim Spens, working through the Presque Isle County Housing Commission, performed the inspections for a cost of $45.

Northeast Michigan Affordable Housing (NEMAH), which now operates the county?s housing department, proposed to the city that they perform the inspection at a per-unit cost of $72 which would include one follow-up inspection should any violations exist. NEMAH is not in the business to make a profit on the inspections but to help the city enforce the ordinance and cover the costs associated with doing the inspections.

The city commission had little hesitation in approving the contract with NEMAH to do the inspections to bring the rental properties in compliance with the ordinance. The ordinance covers very basic safety issues and does not apply to the Jamestown or Lynn Street Manor apartments as they already undergo U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) inspections that are more stringent.

City manager Joe Hefele will send letters to landlords letting them know that they have to get the inspections done and will need to come to city hall, register and pay the inspection fee. Any citations, for those who have violations that they do not bring into compliance, would be issued by the Onaway Police Department. Citations could also be issued to those who fail to register and have the inspections completed.

The idea behind the ordinance is to prohibit people from buying old houses, in desperate need of work, and begin renting them out without first bringing them up to code to make them safe. Approximately 40 single-family rental units and a few duplexes exist in the city of Onaway, some that have been put in since the ordinance and have never been through an inspection.

IN OTHER CITY COMMISSION NEWS:

? The city has received a $300,000 Brownfield Redevelopment grant to be put towards the cleanup of the future site of Dollar General, just east of the post office. The funding was secured based on the developer?s pledge to invest $800,000 in the construction of a 9,000 square foot store which will create 10 jobs, seven of them full time. Being 100 percent grant the money will be used for the cleanup and if for some reason the development does not come to fruition the city would not be required to pay the money back. City staff will also be reimbursed for their time spent on the project through the grant.

? Onaway also signed an agreement with Lakeshore Environmental, the consultant involved with the Brownfield project. They have plenty of experience working with these types of cleanups and will serve as the project engineer and also perform as construction manager.

? The city also approved the warranty deed conveying the properties the city acquired a year ago from the county for back taxes to the developer. ? Engineering invoices for the M-68 project from the past three months, in the total of $4,445

.06, were approved to be paid out of the $325,000 United States Department of Agriculture ? Rural Development loan.

? It has been 90 days since the public hearing in consideration of expanding the downtown development authority district to Washington Avenue and including the Dollar General property was held. City attorney Mike Vogler hopes to have an ordinance expanding the district boundaries for the commissions review on April 18. Hefele has started working on the development and tax increment financing plans for the downtown development authority and hopes to have them completed sometime in mid-May.

? No word has been received as to where the soils and water from the ferric release area can be trucked. Hefele is hopeful that he will hear something soon and the area can be cleaned up. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled on April 25 for the lawsuit the city has filed against Glawe.

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