Logan Municipal Council to 'workshop' landlord licensing at meeting

(Herald Journal) A resolution is in sight for one of the city’s long-running controversial issues.

The Logan Municipal Council is scheduled to “workshop” a landlord licensing ordinance at its regular meeting tonight. That means staff will present a proposed licensing ordinance and the council can discuss it. Next comes a public hearing, which will likely be scheduled for the next meeting.

Landlord licensing has been a lightning-rod issue in Logan with some feeling the city is looking to unnecessarily clamp down on landlords and push rental properties out of neighborhoods consisting mainly of homes, like the Adams neighborhood west of Utah State University.

Mayor Randy Watts and others argue licensing is needed to protect tenants from dangerous living conditions.

Last August councilmembers decided to put off a vote on a proposed licensing ordinance after a dramatic public hearing that saw several passionate pleas from both sides. Instead they directed a 14-member committee made up of landlords, homeowners and city officials to come up with an ordinance everybody could be happy with.

The result is a measure lacking the teeth of the original — landlords will not have to pass a property inspection to get a license. A landlord will be licensed if he or she is operating apartments in zones where they are allowed, said community development director Jay Nielson.

Original Article