Greensboro housing ordinance up for vote

Listed as a business item on the agenda for the Greensboro City Council’s agenda for Tuesday: “Ordinance amending Chapter 11 of the Greensboro Code of Ordinances with respect to Housing Code – Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy.”

As previously reported, the RUCO Appeals and Advisory Board approved changes to the ordinance recommended by a task force appointed by the city’s engineering & inspections department on Nov. 6, so it makes sense that the council would take up the matter at it’s next meeting. But the vote comes as a surprise because Engineering & Inspections Director Butch Simmons had said that the matter would likely come before the council in December.

As the agenda item note states, “Key changes proposed include eliminating expiration of certificates of occupancy or sample compliance, allowing certificates to remain in effect unless revoked for violations, establishing uniform cure periods of 45 days, holding tenants responsible for violating current obligations stated in the ordinance, and not revoking certificates of occupancy or sample compliance for tenant violations when owners take affirmative steps to encourage tenant compliance or to remove offending tenants. These changes will also permit more efficient use of city resources, better enabling staff to perform timely inspections of rental units in areas of the city annexed during the last five years.”

I should note that at least two of the people involved in negotiating the changes to the city's inspection program dispute my account. We've had a semi-private e-mail discussion about it. They're welcome to weigh in here.

UPDATE, Nov. 19, 9:00 a.m.: As expected, the RUCO ordinance amendment passed unanimously. Eight council members voted to approve it, with Mayor Yvonne Johnson being absent.