GIRARD Apartment occupancy fees may be on the rise

The city's board of health is considering an increase for the price of occupancy permits.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Pete Makis doesn't much care for this city's landlord registration and inspection fees.
"It sucks," said Makis, of Liberty, who owns about 50 rental units in Girard, Liberty and Youngstown.
"It's economics and an inconvenience. I think these are imposed to generate revenue," said Makis, a board member of the Mahoning Valley Real Estate Investors Association, which represents Valley landlords, as he sat in city hall, just down the hallway from the water department.
The water department is significant to landlords because they can't get water turned on or the account transferred until they pay a one-time $50 registration fee for the first rental unit in a building, plus $10 for each additional unit.
Landlords are also required to pay a $12-per-unit occupancy permit.
For duplexes, the landlord pays $60 in registration fees, plus $24 in occupancy permits.
If Makis doesn't like the fee structure now, he'll really hate it if the board of health has its way and the $12 occupancy permit fee is raised.
The board will meet with city council at 6:15 p.m. Oct. 28 to discuss a possible increase.
James Dobson, city health commissioner, explained that when the city's housing inspection program was first proposed, he thought the occupancy permit would pay for the inspections. He pointed to Warren, which charges $50 per occupancy permit.
After meeting with landlords, however, city lawmakers reduced the permit fee from a proposed $24 to $12 when the legislation was passed last fall.
"You need a steady income," Dobson said, noting that after the one-time registration fee is paid, the annual $12 occupancy permit can't support the program.
What was changed
When inspections began in January, they were done by the engineering department, but the responsibility was transferred to the health department.
Dobson described the inspections as "piecemeal."
"It's supposed to be a self-supporting program," he said.
The health commissioner said the board wants to hire a clerk and inspector, both part time, to run the program funded by the fees.
Dobson said he doesn't know how much the board wants to increase the occupancy permit fee, but it also wants to buy a computer program to identify out-of-town property owners and locate all rental units.
The water department can look for owners of multiple properties to find landlords and rentals.
"You're charging them [landlords] something and not giving them service," Dobson said.
There are an estimated 2,000 rental units in Girard.
What the city inspects
The city inspects the plumbing, electrical system, furnace and water heater and assures that no windows are broken and that screens are intact.
"We're making sure it's livable," Dobson said.
He pointed out that nearly 90 landlords have registered with the city since the first of the year, but he doesn't know how many more there are who haven't registered.
Meanwhile, Makis said he and other landlords won't only have to pay more, but waiting until the inspection is done will cost them $10 to $15 in daily rent per unit because tenants can't be moved in until the occupancy permit is issued.
yovich@vindy.com