PROPOSED WEST CARROLLTON LANDLORD FEE TO GET HEARING

West Carrollton City Council looks at plan to curb housing code violations.

A proposal to charge an annual license fee to landlords as part of an inspection program aimed at curbing West Carrollton housing code violations will be up for public debate next week.

The issue that has been debated for about a year before a revised version was recommended 4-0 last month by a city zoning board will be the subject of a 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23 West Carrollton City Council public hearing.

“We heard the concerns about the costs and scope of the original proposal, and we’ve tried to respond to those concerns,” said Planning Director Greg Gaines.

If implemented, the plan before council would charge landlords in the city a $30 annual license fee. Centerville and Oakwood have similar inspection programs, but neither requires an annual fee.

Proponents of the initiative say it will cut down on the number of all local code violations, 65 percent of which from 2012-15 stemmed from rental properties.

Opponents include the Greater Dayton Apartment Association. That group represents about 40 percent of the owners of what 2015 records show were 2,503 rental units in the city.

“I think it’s going to hurt West Carrollton in the long run,” Chris Melvin, president of the GDAA board, has said. “You’re going to have less people who want to invest in West Carrollton in the long run (because of ) additional fees.”

The initial proposal included a $60 annual fee, checks on units every three years and a $60 fee when the occupancy of the unit is turned over, according to the city.

The current plan’s inspection requirement upon unit turnover would be eliminated, records show.