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<br />ran his business like a business and safety was his first concern. He stated some of the problems <br />with the Coon Rapids program were putting the blame on the landlords for the tenant's mistakes. <br />He did not think it was right to put mistakes that a tenant did on a landlord unless it was a <br />property issue. He stated the City of Minneapolis started rental housing licensing years ago and <br />it had not been successful. <br /> <br />Alan Williams, 10744 Yellowpine Street, Coon Rapids, stated he also had properties in Coon <br />Rapids. He noted there had been recent court cases where Cities who had required rental <br />licensing could not force inspections. He believed the City should invite people to invest in <br />properties in the City and not turn investors away. He noted most of the blight in cities was from <br />people who could not afford to live in the home and had moved out. He stated renters were not <br />bad people and the cities should not discriminate against them. He indicated any charges put on <br />a landlord would be put on the renters. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig noted the City did not have any issues with responsible landlords, but <br />many people rented their homes out and moved out of the area. He indicated he was in favor of <br />licensing, but did not like mandatory inspections. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated he was not opposed to a voluntary inspection with no cost. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich stated inspection programs had been challenged and in general had been <br />found Constitutional. <br /> <br />Mayor Ramsey stated he was in favor of repealing the Ordinance and put together an educational <br />program instead. <br /> <br />Councilmember Wise agreed. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jeffrey stated he was not in favor, as he did not want to put adults or children at <br />risk. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig agreed with Councilmember Jeffrey. He requested further information on <br />Option 2. <br /> <br />It was Council's consensus to bring this back to the Council at a future date. <br /> <br />3) EPB Annual Work Plan <br /> <br />Environmental Coordinator Anderson summarized the staff report. <br /> <br />It was Council's consensus to approve the EPB Annual Work Plan. <br /> <br />MAYOR, COUNCIL AND STAFF INPUT <br /> <br />None. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / February 23, 2010 <br />Page 4 of5 <br />