Based on comments at Monday’s City Council meeting and at the Tuesday City Council candidate forum in East Charlotte, I count at least five council members who have indicated they support a landlord registry program as originally proposed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department: All residential rental property owners would have to register and pay a small fee.
But the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition lobbied against that proposal, so the City Council committee studying the matter (Democrats Warren Turner and Patsy Kinsey, and Republicans Edwin Peacock and Andy Dulin) ordered a “compromise.” The compromise would register only the worst of the landlords – worst being the ones at the top of the list for criminal activity, etc.
However, council members Turner, James Mitchell, Michael Barnes and Nancy Carter all said they support full registry, not partial. Anthony Foxx did not stake himself out Monday but asked a question in order to elicit the answer that full registration would noticeably reduce the registration fee, as it would be spread over a much larger number of landlords.
Kinsey, who is on the committee that coughed out the compromise, pointed out that the compromise was the only way to get the proposal out of committee, as they were stalemated.
Susan Burgess said at the forum Tuesday she supports full registration.
If Kinsey OR Foxx were to vote for full registration rather than partial, that measure would pass.
But, as Burgess said when I asked her Tuesday about it, 6-5 isn’t a veto-proof vote. Would the mayor veto it? She said she didn’t know.
For those who haven’t checked in on this issue, the police want a way to get problem landlords to the table to talk with police about measures to reduce crime on their properties. Police also want a way to be able to find out who the property owners are. They say it can be difficult to find telephone numbers or responsive people with some out-of-town property owners. Neighborhood activists over the years say the same thing – some property owners really don’t want to be found.
The question is whether it’s worth the hassle of citywide registration to get to the comparatively few landlords causing problems. REBIC and the apartment association don’t think it is. The police originally said it was. (The staff needed for the program would be funded with the fees.) When told to “compromise,” of course, they dutifully complied.
Key fact: The matter comes before the council in November – after the election. So anything can happen.