MICHAEL J. LALLY, CHAIRPERSON
MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

RENTAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Purpose

    Staff will report back to the Community Development Committee at the Wednesday, June 2, 1999, meeting on the results of three focus group meetings that were held to review the revised Rental Certification Program. The results of the focus group meetings will be reviewed along with presenting a modified Rental Certification Program proposal for consideration. Direction is needed on how to proceed with the proposed program (Attachment A).

Background

     After hearing a report on the findings of three public informational meetings held to receive comments and suggestions on two program proposals affecting absentee- owned residential properties, the Community Development Committee directed staff to form a focus group. The purpose of the focus group was formed to allow for the review of a modified and scaled-back program for rental properties. The focus group was composed of members of various interest groups that might be affected by new regulations affecting rental properties. The focus group was called the Rental Certification Program Focus Group and was composed of members from several interest groups including, tenants, landlords, apartment complex owners, Board of Johnson County Realtors and representatives from a neighborhood organization and homes association (Attachment B). The 13-member focus group met three times in April (April 13, 22 and 28, 1999) to review the proposed Rental Certification Program.
     The minutes from the three meetings and the staff notes taken at each of the three meetings are available in the Governing Body Reading File. A summary of the notes from the three focus group meetings is attached (Attachment C). The Ground Rules adopted at the start of the April 13, 1999, meeting were used to direct how issues were to be dealt with for the rest of that meeting and the other two meetings (Governing Body Reading File). Charlene May, a consultant with extensive experience as a group facilitator, was brought in to facilitate all three focus group meetings. The new program proposal was to retain the key elements considered necessary by staff for an effective program yet consider the concerns raised at the three public informational meetings.

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