A major policy push of Springfield Tenants Unite, the program is first and foremost a proof-of-concept, intended to collect data and evaluate the effectiveness of a potential citywide program. While a citywide implementation would inspect all rentals every five years, the pilot only targets single-family homes and duplexes. To that end, the ordinance passed unanimously, despite members of council offering critiques.
One shared sticking point was the inspection fee of $35 per property per year.
“To this point of not punishing good landlords,” said Brandon Jenson, “I really would like to see an evaluation at the end of this pilot how the fee structure could be rebuilt so that it’s a sliding scale.”…