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Notice/Advertisement Title: PROPOSED FEE SCHEDULE CHANGE, TAXI FARE INCREASE AND EVICTION BOND & UPDATE ON REMAINING HOUSING FOR ALL INITIATIVES
Contact Name: Kendra Asiedu
Contact Telephone Number: 614-622-4618
Contact Email Address: Knasiedu@columbus.gov
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Housing, Homelessness, and Building Committee Hearing
Date: Tuesday - November 12th 2024
Time: 5pm
Location: Columbus City Council Chambers, 90 West Broad Street, Columbus 43215
Councilmembers Present: Councilmembers Shayla Favor, Nick Bankston, Lourdes Barroso De Padilla, Nancy Day-Achauer, Rob Dorans, Shannon Hardin, Melissa Green, and Chris Wyche
Summary of Minutes:
- Call to Order: 5:03pm
Present: Councilmember Favor, Bankston, Barrodo De Padilla, Day- Achauer, Green Wyche, Council President Pro Tems Dorans, Deputy Director Hannah Jones, Chief Counsel Lara Baker-Morrish, Deputy Director Anthony Celebrezze, Assistant Director Festus Manly- Spain, Kendra Asiedu, Sundeepti Jindal, John Tannous, Ariel Garrett; Jessica Clinger; Niyah Walter; Nya Hairston; Brad Bader
- 35 in audience unnamed; 3-15 attendees via Youtube
- Introduction of hearing : Councilmember Favor
Fee Schedule introduction- Deputy Director Celebrezze and Fee Schedule presentation Assistant Director Manly-Spain
Questions
CM Favor: Are the fee changes for both residential and commercial?
Celebreeze: They are both, but residential fees will not be impacted because the increase mainly impacts larger commercial projects such as the square footage fee.
Favor and Celebreeze: Comments on timeliness of the such low fees on larger projects with their impact to the community versus smaller projects
Favor: Asks of the timeline impacts from the fee schedule impact.
Celebreeze: Emphasizes the timeliness of BZS’s and the timelines that they will continue to have being technologically forward. Asst. Manly-Spain emphasizes that the increase will increase efficacy for the team.
Favor: Asks how the 20% in revenue support BZS.
Celebreeze: Emphasizes that it would support staff, and allow them to keep working at this staffing level and with more quickness in terms of timeline Assist. Manly-Spain adds that allows for investment in technology and project management to uplift projects that encounter trouble.
CM Bankston: Asks how the fee schedule assisting in the building of affordable housing and new developers
Celebreeze: BZS is providing programs to assist new entrepreneurs and investment in project managers for residential projects to assist projects and uplift the work. Asst. Manly-Spain adds the alleviates of increase on fees on bigger projects to release the pressure on smaller projects to assist in revenue with price targeting. Some housing developments do not have any increases.
Taxi Fare Increase- Deputy Director Celebrezze
Questions
CM Favor: Asks for the fee for the current taxi fare for taxi operators.
Celebrezze: Dialogue regarding calculations for increase and how it impacts the operators and riders.
Favor: Asks if this amendment is in line with peer cities and makes sure that taxi operators are being paid equitably.
Celebreeze: Emphasizes that they looked into the cost of peer cities and Columbus is in line with them.
Bankston: Asks how this increase makes the taxi operators competitive with Uber, Lyft and other rideshare operators.
Celebreeze: Explains that City Taxi Operators are cheaper than other rideshare operators.
Proposed Eviction Bond- Hannah Jones, Deputy Director, Department of Development
Questions
Favor: Ask if there is any data of people who had strong cases but unable to post their bond.
DD Jones: Not at the moment, but can update once the data is available and will follow up with Legal Aid.
Favor: Asks what is the average cost of eviction bond.
Jones: Explains that $1500 to 2000 tends to happen as a couple months of rent, but there is not concrete average.
Favor: Asks the number of residents assisted through this program
Jones: Explains that $50,000 will be set aside, with 25 qualifying households with court mandate.
Favor: Asks what support we are getting from local landlord groups and tenant associations.
Jones: Explains there has not been stakeholder outreach as it is a grant that is held with COMPASS for vetting qualifying households.
CM Wyche: Asks assisting 25 household, how will this program expand/sustain itself.
Jones: Sustaining itself in a cycle, if the tenant is successful and the bond is released, then the bond would go back to COMPASS.
CM Favor: Emphasizes the need for prevention and preservation of people being able to stay in their homes in a number of ways.
CPPT Dorans: Asks clarity for the serving 25 families with the funds returning back, maximum of 25 at a given time.
Jones: Affirms the correct cycle from CPPT, with partnership of legal aide it is an opportunity to impact families.
Dorans: Asks who's eligible for the program.
Jones: Emphasizes that their team is still solidifying that, will be in alignment with the stout study with 200% poverty level.
Updates on remaining Housing for All initiatives:
Councilmember Nick Bankston: Rental Registry: Emphasizes the changes in the Rental Registry and what it could look like under Ohio and Columbus’ regulations and code.
Chief Counsel Lara Baker-Morrish emphasizes the inability to have the rental registry for specific purposes
Bankston: Emphasizes/asks that the revenue of the registry must be tied to the operation of the registry.
Baker-Morrish: Emphasizes that it must have a comparable fee to its operation, if it is excess than its considered a tax.
Bankston: Explains the usage of Cleveland’s registry and how its operates.
Baker-Morrish: Concurs with Cleveland’s example and how it serves a unique purpose for lead usage.
Bankston: Emphasizes the exploration of housing advocates related to rental registry, but having some roadblocks that need to be changed to get the spirit of rental registries for local accountability.
Baker-Morrish: Builds on the point of CM Bankston with emphasis on the uniqueness of Cleveland and how it impacts Columbus.
CM Green: Asks how this compares to Cincinnati for their rental registry and their parameters.
Baker-Morrish: Explained that research on Cincinnati was looked into and some actions from Cincinnati can be done, but the fees only fund the operation, with the penalties being the larger chuck building revenue.
Green: Asks about Cleveland usage, and how code violations and penalties can be used for home remediation and health programs.
Baker- Morrish: Explains that it could be possible with unique structuring and usage.
Green: Ask how penalties and fees could offset the usage of ABA (Environment Blite Team) cost and work.
Baker-Morrish: Confirms that it is possible.
Favor: Concludes that exploration that is being taken for the rental registry with addressing Columbus and its housing crisis.
Public Comment
Cindy Flaherty: Advocating on the usage of the rental registry and the advocacy of residents.
Bankston: Expresses the thanks for BREAD and their work to assist with those who are bad actors in Columbus; and how we need regulation to protect the residents of Columbus.
Favor: Emphasizes that the focus is on bad actors and being a strong engage with stakeholders.
Anamaria Perales - Lang: Absent
Sarah Huelskoetter: Advocating for the rental registry from BREAD and the biggest concern being accountability rather than revenue generation.
Dimitri Hatzifotinos: Advocating for the Columbus Apartment Association regarding the impact of the rental registry for an increase on all landlords.
Favor: Engages with comments from speakers regarding the extremes of housing.
Hatzifotinos: Stating 1990s housing that needs to be maintained, but emphasizing that most landlords in Columbus are compliant.
Favor: Emphasizes that regulation is not an indictment on all landlords, but those who are taking advantage of regulations.
Bankston: Emphasizing that this is no legislation language at the moment because there is more needed community engagement. Favor reiterates the outreach and stakeholder engagement.
Dr. LonDale Towns: Absent
Councilmember Shayla Favor: Rent Increase Notification Update
Public Comment:
Anamaria Perales - Lang: Absent
Dimitri Hatzifotinos: Emphasizes that there will be litigation for implementation for rent increase legislation and the need for outreach.
Favor: Emphasizes that there has been communication and outreach with stakeholders that Columbus Apartment Association, but there will be continued before the language is created.
Green: Asks that since the majority of Hatzifotinos’ clients are in compliance, then how does this affect these clients.
Hatzifotinos: Emphasizes that criminal culpability of the proposed language, and the need for education for landlords.
Favor: Emphasizes that experiences that residents are in eviction court and homeless shelters are what are impacting this legislation.
Hardin: Emphasizes that there is a pressure on residents that are being undertaken and that the pressures need to be addressed because our residents need assistance.
Council President Shannon Hardin: Wholesaler Regulation Update
Invited Speaker:
Scott Hrabcak, President, Columbus Realtor’s Association: Emphasizing the partnership of this legislation and the protection of consumers.
Hardin and Favor: Emphasizing the partnership and the Columbus Realtors Association bringing this legislation to the table.
Public Comment
Anamaria Perales - Lang: Absent
Lucy Wolfe: Absent
Councilmember Shayla Favor: Stout Study/Access to Counsel
Invited Speaker:
Jyoshu Tsushima, Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio: Emphasizing the impact of this legislation and the impact of representation at Eviction Court.
Favor: Asks how this program will be impactful for residents facing eviction.
Tsushima: Acknowledging how eviction filings are increasing, but how legal representation introduces a reduction of set-outs and compliance for current tenants that are an advocate for them.
Jones: Emphasizes the power of rental assistance and partnership for stable housing.
Niyah Walters: Emphasizes the work of Toledo, Cincinnati, and Cleveland and their impacts for their access to counsel programs.
Public Comment
Carlie Boos: Advocates for the protection and expansion of Access to Counsel and the ADU program from Columbus.
Hatzifotinos: Advocating for Access to Counsel to completely avoid eviction court because of the fees and the use of prior programming prior to eviction.
Dr. LonDale Towns- Absent
Anamaria Perales - Lang: Absent
ADU Pilot Update: Niyah Walters, Legislative Research Office, Columbus City Council
Public Comment
Carlie Boos: Advocates for the protection and expansion of Access to Counsel and the ADU program from Columbus.
Lori Crabtree: Advocating for the ADU pilot program to assist multi-generational change to add more housing.
Favor and Crabtree: Discussing the multi-generation impact and how ADUs can assist in that living since there is little available in the City of Columbus.
Hardin: Emphasizing and tying together that need for representation and preservation while building more unique housing for residents to address the crisis.
Conclusion: Councilmember Favor
Adjourned: 7:33 pm