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HRA Meeting Minutes – Monday, July 28, 2014 Page 6 1 continual amount of outreach that created the additional workload. Ms. Kelsey noted that this 2 was all part of trying to utilize staff time better beyond the work of the Fair. 3 4 Member Masche opined that if the HRA was to end the Home & Garden Fair now, as it was 5 seeking various initiatives with the business community through Business Retention efforts, it 6 would send a negative message to new and existing businesses, as well as marketing efforts for 7 new companies and the city as a whole. 8 9 Chair Maschka noted the need to keep offering the principles for home remodeling as well. 10 11 Member Masche noted that well over 50% of the HRA budget dollars went toward housing=- 12 related efforts, whether direct costs of renovation, construction or remodeling of delinquent 13 homes; and suggested the need to keep an eye on that in relationship to the cost of delivery of 14 those initiatives. 15 16 Specific to rental licensing and rental housing issues, Ms. Kelsey cautioned the Board that the 17 more programming added outside the HRA realm the less control they would have over those 18 efforts as the HRA staff would not be doing the work. While at some point the HRA may need 19 to have that discussion, Ms. Kelsey noted that the HRA served to facilitate a lot of things, and 20 they did it well, including now providing funding to support other positions in the City. 21 However, Ms. Kelsey further cautioned the need for the HRA to balance its internal priorities 22 versus City priorities, and determine who should pay. 23 24 Chair Maschka concurred, referencing the issues raised recently at the Quarterly meeting with 25 the City Council, and work plan to look at hotel situations, rental housing, and affordable 26 rental housing for young families. Chair Maschka opined that he didn’t think rental housing 27 was working, but the remaining question was how to run the Neighborhood Enhancement 28 Program (NEP) as it related to industrial/commercial areas versus residential areas. 29 30 Ms. Kelsey noted that the former seasonal NEP staff person had been hired full-time by the 31 City to work on the rental licensing program and initial inspections of rental licensing 32 facilities, with the intent that he’d work every other year on the various classes of rental 33 properties as applicable, and re-inspect them accordingly. However, Ms. Kelsey noted that the 34 immediate findings during inspections were that even the really good properties had things 35 they needed to address; and while they are, the inspector was finding the need for additional 36 education as part of the program; and still requiring that he return to re-inspect the properties 37 after six months. Ms. Kelsey advised that this aspect was not programmed, and resulted in 38 whether or not a seasonal person should be hired only for next year for the NEP or not, but part 39 of budget considerations for 2015. 40 41 Chair Maschka opined that NEP worked, there was no question, and should be continued, 42 whether annually or every other year, and was well-received by the overall community and 43 brought good results to the benefit of everyone. 44 45 Ms. Kelsey clarified that the NEP currently provided for code enforcement inspections once 46 every four years for residences and businesses. 47 48 Chair Maschka opined that his concern with rental housing was the single-family rentals; and 49 questioned if that issue needed further consideration and discussion. 50 51 Ms. Kelsey opined that it needed further discussion after recent presentation of available data, 52 whether deemed accurate or not, and no evident problem was identified. However, Ms. Kelsey 53 questioned if all single-family rentals were being registered throughout the City. When the 54 HRA originally took up this issue in 2005/2006, Ms. Kelsey advised that the community 55 overwhelmingly compelled the HRA to license all rentals throughout the City. However, after