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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994 03-15 HCM S MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA REGULAR SESSION MARCH 15, 1994 C BARN EARLE BROWN HERITAGE CENTER CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center Housing Commission was called to order by Chairperson Robert Torres at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Chairperson Robert Torres, Commissioners Kathleen Carmody, Keith Tuttle, Vince Opat, and Jon Perkins. Also present was Council Liaison Barb Kalligher and Community Development Specialist Tom Bublitz. Commissioners Ernie Erickson, Todd Cannon, Neal Nelson and John Kalligher were absent and excused from this evening's meeting. APPROVAL OF AGENDA There was a motion by Commissioner Carmody and seconded by Commissioner Opat to approve the agenda, as submitted. The motion passed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FEBRUARY 15, 1994 There was a motion by Commissioner Carmody and seconded by Commissioner Opat to approve the minutes of the February 15, 1994 Housing Commission meeting, as submitted. The motion passed. GUEST SPEAKERS AND DISCUSSION: REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE BROOKLYN, CENTER PROPERTY OWNERS AND MANAGERS GROUP Representatives from the Brooklyn Center property owners and managers group introduced themselves to the commission members. They included Rhonda Manderfeld and Kathleen Patterson, representing Four Courts Apartments, and Beth Kunz and Kim Collinge, representing The Ponds. In addition to the property managers present, the City's Housing Inspector, Matt Moore, was also present and presented the Housing Commission members with a handout describing the activities of the Brooklyn Center apartment owners and managers group. He pointed out the group started with an educational approach involving numerous speakers on topics of interest to property managers. He explained the group is now looking at a new direction, one that would be more oriented towards working on specific projects related to the multi family community. 3 -15 -94 -1- Ms. Kunz stated that the property managers group has been stressing the need for apartments in the City to use third -party screening agencies. She explained apartments are no longer passing on problem tenants to other complexes in Brooklyn Center. Additionally, she pointed out the property managers group is organizing support for a COPS program for the apartment community. She explained the COPS program is designed to dedicate police officers to specific apartment properties to patrol the property on foot patrol and find where the problems are and make it difficult for those creating the problems to live in the City. She explained Brooklyn Center does have police officers working with the apartment community, but they are pulled off when someone street patrol. She pointed out the property is needed for st p p P P Y managers group believes there is a need for two full -time officers dedicated to the apartment community. Rhonda Manderfeld also pointed out the apartment managers group is trying to encourage more participation from Brooklyn Center property managers and that she also agreed that the COPS program is a high priority. The City's Housing Inspector pointed out that approximately sixty percent (60 of the multi family units in the City of Brooklyn Center are represented on the property managers group. Discussion continued regarding" the COPS program, and Ms. Kunz stated that in Brooklyn Park the property owners are funding a portion of the cost for the COPS program and that the COPS program in Brooklyn Park is not being funded directly through the Police Department. The Community Development Specialist stated he would follow up with Brooklyn Park officials to determine how their program was funded. Ms. Collinge told the Housing Commission that two officers from Brooklyn Center came regularly to The Ponds for an entire summer, but were then pulled off after the end of the summer. She added that The Ponds management had to hire private security for The Ponds after the officers were pulled off duty on The Ponds. She added she believes the multi family properties need police officers who maintain steady contact "with the apartment community to provide consistency of enforcement and information. She cited an example of many younger people who use street names instead of their real names and that unless police officers work with the apartments on a regular basis, they do not become familiar with the individuals by their street names. She cited another example where a Brooklyn Center resident of The Ponds went to Brooklyn Park to apply for a rental unit in Brooklyn Park. The individual apparently misrepresented himself on the application and a Brooklyn Park officer, who knew the resident, informed the new landlord of this situation. 3 -15 -94 -2- Discussion then turned to the issue of ordinances and the representatives from the Brooklyn Center property managers group pointed out that Brooklyn Park has enacted an ordinance where if there are more than two police calls to an individual apartment unit in Brooklyn Park, that unit must be closed down and the tenant evicted from the unit. The City's Housing Inspector pointed out that Brooklyn Park's ordinance is modeled after Brooklyn Center's ordinance regulating conduct on licensed premises. He pointed out the ordinances are very similar. Discussion continued with regard to the COPS program and ordinances. Commissioner Opat inquired what are the types of violations or past actions for which property managers can reject tenants. The property managers pointed out that such things as disturbances, consistent nonpayment of rent, noise, behavioral activities, drugs, vandalism and domestic assaults are some of the things for which tenants can be evicted or rejected as new tenants. Ms. Kunz pointed out that Rental Research, a third -party screening agency, keeps criminal conviction records on those persons in their data bank, but the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is now two years behind in entering data so that Rental Research does not have access to the most current violations. She pointed out that property managers can also get information on criminal activity nationwide. Rhonda Manderfeld pointed out that with regard to improvements in her specific complex, she noted the addition of controlled entrances to buildings at a cost of $100,000, and seven new caretakers coming on, one for each building in her complex. Rhonda Manderfeld also inquired of the Housing Commission whether the Council or the Housing Commission could assist the property managers group with getting property managers in the City to join the managers group. Commissioner Opat suggested that perhaps a letter could be sent from the Mayor or the City Manager to encourage property managers to attend the meetings. Commissioner Perkins inquired whether the property managers thought it was the ordinance that is the problem regarding conduct on licensed premises or is enforcement of the ordinance the problem. The property managers generally believed it was the enforcement of the ordinance that was the problem and that this should be improved. The commission members continued to discuss the City's ordinance regarding conduct on licensed premises and the enforcement of the ordinance. The Community Development Specialist stated that he would discuss this matter with the City Manager and Councilmember Kalligher stated that she would also talk to the City Manager with regard to the ordinance and its enforcement. 3 -15 -94 -3- The Housing Commission then brought up the issue of the possibility of rental community representation on the Housing Commission. It was noted that the commission had previously requested the Council to consider rental community representation for upcoming replacement positions on the Housing Commission. The commission thanked the property managers group for attending this evening's meeting and expressed an interest in continuing the discussion with them at some future date. ADJOURNMENT There was a motion by Commissioner opat and seconded by Commissioner Carmody to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed. The Brooklyn Center Housing Commission adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Chairperson I 3 -15 -94 -4-