Norway board open to changes in rental ordinance

NORWAY — The board of selectmen reported at its February 7 meeting that it is open to suggestions on how to improve the town's rental ordinance, after one landlord in particular requested changes be made to the ordinance last month. 

On January 24, Jon Belanger, who owns apartment units at 247 and 458 Main Street, called the ordinance a "knee-jerk reaction" to problems in local Section 8 rental units that were exposed in 2011, according to reports. 

At the February 7 meeting, Town Manager David Holt said, at the time, Belanger indicated to the planning board that he intended to address his concerns about multiple inspections by both local and state agencies. 

He told the planning board he would ask selectmen to review the town's updated rental occupancy ordinance, but did not attend the February 7 meeting. 

The revised ordinance, approved by voters June 18, 2012, requires stricter standards for annual housing inspections.

It also requires a $25 fee for an occupancy permit, issued by the code enforcement officer and allows the CEO to enforce or revoke the permit if warranted. 

According to Holt, Belanger has a history of not keeping his rental units in compliance with the ordinance.

"He had been directed to come see you by the planning board because he had not complied with the inspections, and expressed his disagreement with the ordinance," Holt told the selectmen. 

Holt said he was not entirely familiar with the issues in Belanger's rental units, but pointed out that under the amended rental ordinance, whether or not a landlord gets subsidies, their units are required to be inspected multiple times. 

According to reports, one of Belanger's units had been inspected 10 times one year. In order to reduce this redundancy, Belanger told the planning board at its January 24 hearing that he believed this part of the ordinance should be revised. 

"The reason for that was well publicized," Holt said, "but I understand that it must be tiresome to have more than one inspection per year." 

Selectboard Chair Russ Newcomb said, in the future, he would be "more than willing" to listen to Belanger's concerns about the ordinance. 

"It became quite apparent that we couldn't always rely on the state inspections," Newcomb said.

"It seemed to make more sense to me to have a local inspection; and we would know they were done," he said.