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inspector is writing up every single tenant who has a small rip in their carpet, then the Council <br />would be hearing about it from the residents. He said focusing on these small details is not a good <br />use of time and they need to be able to trust Staff that they are treating residents and landlords <br />right. <br /> <br />Community Development Director Hanson shared that she works with the inspector daily and <br />there are instances where she is inspecting a unit and the carpeting is completely ripped up and <br />causes a tripping hazard which would be a concern that needs to be addressed; however, there are <br />also instances where a rip is very small or just has normal wear and tear that does not need to be <br />addressed. She noted that when it comes to safety and the concern could be a hazard then that is <br />when it needs to be addressed. <br /> <br />Councilmember Buscher asked if they could put this item on a future Work Session agenda to fully <br />iron out. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman noted that the Council does trust Staff to do what is right; however, they still <br />want to do their due diligence for the residents. He added that they have a complaint-based system <br />so if something is not being addressed it can be reported to the City. <br /> <br />Councilmember Stewart asked if the inspector will still be looking in closets during inspections. <br />She added that if a tenant does not want photos taken of their home, she thinks they have the right <br />to say no to it. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman suggested adding a section that if a tenant declines to have photos taken in their <br />unit then this would admit fault to the issue. <br /> <br />Planning Manager Larson explained that the photo is to help identify the issue and work out the <br />solutions with the property owner or manager. He said they are not taking broad pictures, just <br />close-up pictures of the area of concern. <br /> <br />Councilmember Olson said he likes the option of allowing tenants to opt out of having photos <br />taken of issues found in the inspection. He noted these photos are to speed up the process of getting <br />the issue fixed and if they do not want photos taken then they should be able to say no to that; <br />however, this will likely slow down the process of getting the issue resolved. <br /> <br />Mayor Heineman stated he would not want to waste Staff time by making them come back and <br />look at the issue because they did not have a photo of it. <br /> <br />Planning Manager Larson added that it would not be the tenant admitting fault by saying they do <br />not want issues to be photographed. He noted that property managers have every right to take <br />pictures of whatever they need to. <br /> <br />Debra Musgrove noted that there was a question listed on the draft policy about property manager <br />background checks and if those are conducted every year. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / March 11, 2025 <br />Page 8 of 10 <br /> <br />