2009/09/30 Council Agenda Packet

WHEREAS, the City's ongoing code enforcement review and improvement project has resulted in improved efficiency in the City's enforcement of codes, and additional efficiency can be gained by implementing the recommendation that the City amend its Administrative Enforcement Procedures, chapter 1.20 EMC, to authorize streamlined enforcement of code violations; and WHEREAS, the City's building, fire, and code enforcement staff advise that it is an appropriate time to update City codes governing the safety and habitability of residential housing in existing structures -by replacing the housing and dangerous building codes with the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code, consistent with the City's recent transition from the Uniform Fire and Building Codes to the International Codes; and WHEREAS, the goals and objectives enumerated above are best accomplished through a partnership between residential rental property owners, tenants, and the City; NOW, THEREFORE, THE EVERETT CITY COUNCIL DOES RESOLVE: The measures described below, collectively referred to as the Everett Housing Improvement Plan, will be implemented to address substandard housing in the City. After careful study, and based on input from numerous stakeholders, the City has elected to implement an enhanced enforcement strategy rather than an inspection and certification strategy, consisting of the following elements: Adopt the 2009 International Property Management Code (IPMC) to supersede the City's housing and dangerous building codes, consolidating requirements of the two older codes into a single, up-to-date, clear and concise document to help owners and occupants achieve better compliance and allow the City to more effectively enforce applicable requirements. In addition, the IPMC is fully compatible with the International Fire and Building Codes recently adopted by the City. 2. Facilitate use of existing state -law remedies and informal dispute resolution for many landlord -tenant issues. The City will explore contracting with a nonprofit organization or other independent entity to provide tenant education, dispute resolution and assistance using remedies and procedures under the Landlord -Tenant Act before referring appropriate unresolved issues to the City's Code Enforcement Unit. 3. Authorize streamlined citation enforcement mechanism. Amend the City's Administrative Enforcement Procedures, chapter 1.20 EMC, to allow enforcement officials to issue citations that include a fine that is intended to be waived by the Hearing Examiner upon a showing that the violation has been remedied prior to the scheduled compliance hearing. This enforcement tool is intended to supplement existing authority and be used at the discretion of the enforcement officer in appropriate situations. For simple violations, this process should be significantly faster and involve less City staff time allowing more code enforcement activity using existing resources. 19 2