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CITY OF SOUTH BEND ' OFFICE OF THE CLERK
<br /> units planned to be inspected in 2019, six hundred and fifty (650) of which are open Code
<br /> Enforcement cases. I think we are grossly underestimating the amount of landlord requests that are
<br /> going to be made. As an Association of Realtors, we represent many landlords that own hundreds,
<br /> if not,thousands of properties and these are,overall,rule and law-abiding landlords that don't have
<br /> a majority of these issues going on. So, a couple people, up to maybe ten (10), could put several
<br /> thousands in the landlord requests section to where we then don't get to the ones we are concerned
<br /> about with the geographic deployment until maybe not even until four (4) or five (5) years down
<br /> the road. So,we are incentivizing landlords to request,and a lot of them will do that and they aren't
<br /> going to be the ones we are looking for. I would almost like to see the geographic deployment go
<br /> first (1St). We were looking at a letter from the Near Northwest Neighborhood and, in my view,
<br /> the people we are most concerned about here aren't the ones going to be stepping forward, it is
<br /> going to be thousands of other properties that are going to pass inspection but take all of our
<br /> inspector's time. The other issue would be the IPMC, the International Property Maintenance
<br /> Code. I think the Mayor's staff has done a great job, in summary, lessening the things they were
<br /> looking for. The first (1St) list we looked at had all sorts of things that, I think, everybody agreed
<br /> weren't what we were looking for here such as fences and cosmetic things. So, the letter that
<br /> summarized everything was good in the sense that is lessened those but, with the bill still stating
<br /> the IPMC, I think technically and legally it brings in all those things we were concerned about and,
<br /> as Administrations and seats up here all change, we are worried they could harken back and be
<br /> knit-picking the cosmetic issues and not the major issues. So,if we could define was we are looking
<br /> at and agreeing to today in the Code and not just the IMPC blanket, we would feel a lot better
<br /> about that. Thank you.
<br /> Pete Taddeo, 2537 Grape Road, stated, I'm in support of this document, but there are a couple
<br /> changes. I think a big change that was made that was positive is linking the Code to the
<br /> International Property Maintenance Code. Excluded was the International Residential Code, the
<br /> Unsafe Building Law, and the South Bend Municipal Code. That was changed not only in the first
<br /> (1St) item, it is also changed in the definition. However, the document on page seven (7) item I
<br /> referred to Unsafe Building Laws that an inspector can enforce. And item K refers to South Bend
<br /> Municipal Code and State Laws, and I might have gotten those two (2) items mixed up. I think
<br /> those need to be eliminated. It's a little bit more than word-smithing and that's why I brought it up
<br /> because practically every house in the earlier part of the 1900s was built with electrical dob and
<br /> tube wiring. That is shown to be unsafe. That might be in one (1) of those laws that was in here
<br /> and now an inspector can invoke that and he just might wipe out every house built in the early
<br /> 1900s. That is one (1) example. Another thing I mentioned, I think the portion on the appeal
<br /> process needs to be better stated. It's subject to an appeal process and the appeal is afforded
<br /> hereunder. I don't know what that means and there is no reference to the process. I think that
<br /> should be included too. Other than that, you did a great job and I think the revisions corrected a
<br /> lot of problems.
<br /> Penny Hughes, 717 West 7th Street, stated, I've been a realtor in this community for fifty (50)
<br /> years. I'm a realtor emeritus now. I've been a landlady for fifty-five (55) years with my husband
<br /> Ken. We have never, to my knowledge, ever had any tenant complain to Code. So, if I bring my
<br /> thirty-four(34)properties for you guys to inspect, you're not getting to the ones that you need to.
<br /> Somebody suggested to going after the ones complained about first (1St). In addition to those
<br /> credentials, last year I was the Housing Chair of the NAACP local branch and I am also the Chair
<br /> of the Human Rights Commission. So, I have a lot of experience in housing problems and having
<br /> to deal with them. I have a concern. As a landlord, I pay two percent (2%) property taxes on all
<br /> EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
<br /> 455 County-City Building 227 W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 1 p 574.235.9221 (574.235.9173 TTD 574.235.5567 .w w.southbendin.gov
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