Norway eyes changes to rental ordinance

NORWAY—  Changes to the town's rental occupancy ordinance will help tighten up enforcement and may result in lower court fees for the town, according to Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey-Whitman.

The board of selectmen discussed proposed changes to the ordinance during its meeting, February 21, and agreed to hold a public hearing on the most recent amendments to the ordinance before town meeting in June. 

The need for changes to the ordinance, said Corey-Whitman, came to light in October, 2011, when the Advertiser Democrat published a series of articles on deplorable living conditions in local rental housing. 

She said she felt revisions were also necessary after she spent hours in superior court trying to get an injunction to stop a landlord, Patrick McInnis, from renting unsafe apartment units at 168 Main Street. 

The proposed amendments, made by town attorney Geoff Hole, will allow Corey-Whitman to personally condemn a building or file an injunction in court to prevent rental or occupancy of unsafe units, she told selectmen. 

According to the ordinance amendments, the CEO also has the power to issue or revoke an occupancy permit if the building is deemed unsafe.

Changes to the ordinance further aim to address some "legitimate concerns" by another landlord, Jon Belanger, who owns apartment units at 247 and 485 Main Street, Corey-Whitman said. 

In January, according to reports, Belanger told the Norway Planning Board that the 2012 ordinance was a "knee-jerk reaction" to local problems in Section 8 housing, and that it creates redundancy in the inspection process. 

Belanger also pointed out that the $25 inspection fee can add up quickly, especially for landlords with multiple units. 

"Most of the time what I hear from landlords, as I inspect, is the frequency of inspections they have to have," Corey-Whitman said, during the February 21 meeting.

Ordinance changes also make the landlord liable for legal fees, attorney fees or other costs, including interest and costs incurred by relocation of tenants, should they fall out of compliance. 

Some landlords own more than five units, Corey-Whitman said. "It does start to get pricey." 

"I don't know if there is another way to do those appeals that is not costly," Town Manager David Holt said. 

Getting landlords to comply with the ordinance is simply a matter of educating them about issues in their units, said Corey-Whitman, as she recognizes "it's not easy to be a landlord."

"Some folks have never had to maintain a home or do any of that stuff, so I have to take baby steps in some of these units," she explained. 

Holt said he agreed with Corey-Whitman's approach to doing inspections and thanked her for her hard work on the ordinance.  

"I, for one, appreciate all the work you've done ... to make it as smooth a process as can be," agreed Board Chair Russ Newcomb. 

"Rules change; we're supposed to stay up on them," Corey-Whitman said. 

In addition, sharing CEO duties between Greenwood and Woodstock is going well, Corey-Whitman said, explaining that she will also be local health officer for both towns. She said she would also be glad to take over as local health officer for Norway.