A proposed Neighborhood Preservation / Rental Registration Program was introduced to the Warsaw Common Council last night, but it did not win favorable reviews from landlords who attended the meeting.

“We’re trying to get into the neighborhoods as part of a revitalization effort and try to define rental units and then work toward a better ordinance that protects both the landlords and the tenants,” said mayor Joe Thallemer. “Obviously, this will be somewhat controversial,” he added, likening it to the sign ordinance that was adopted in 2012 after a nearly year-long process.

The ordinance draft was presented to the council by city planner Jeremy Skinner. “Probably the most important thing to say about this is, this is not a document that was created to address just rental properties. The basis for this document is all properties in Warsaw, not just rentals properties,” Skinner explained. “With that, there is a registration program tied to this preservation ordinance that allows for a little more community friendly approach to properties in that it defines some of the issues we have over the years.”

The registration program, according to Skinner, will allow the city to know where each rental unit is and to allow for inspections to assure the units meet compliance standards. He also said it seeks to add definitions to current vague words such as “adequate.”

Bruce Woodward was among the local landlords who addressed the council saying the proposed ordinance “is affecting the majority of the population.” He referenced the 1990 census which found over 66 percent of housing were rentals. Today, the majority of the housing in the city are also rentals and the majority of the population are tenants, he said.

“Indiana code defines that the rental of homes/dwellings is a business. We are required by Indiana law to provide safe, clean, decent housing. That’s the law.” Woodward added, “This proposed ordinance is defining that code more, putting another layer into the Indiana Code … how far is the city going to go in layering more codes on us?”

Although Woodward said the ordinance is “a good thing” to protect property values, he also said the current ordinance is not being enforced. “Are we going to create another ordinance that will not be enforced?” he asked.

Landlord Will Brandt also spoke to the council saying, “We have a list of people who own properties and operate properties here in town. We need to take care of blighted properties. We need to take care of single family dwellings that are blighted. We have that on the books now, we need to enforce it.”

Chad Zartman, a landlord since 1996 in Warsaw, said, “I feel that everything you need to enforce is already in place. We don’t need a registration program and an inspection every 2 years or 4 years or whatever it might be … I think we have everything in place. It’s not an ordinance issue, it’s an enforcement issue, maybe a personnel issue.”

Others voiced concerns that if Warsaw continues to layer on more restrictions and regulations, some of which were said to be “too invasive” to people’s property, that it could even affecte the medical device industry by making employees shy away from the community.

One landlord noted he owns rental properties all over Indiana — including Fort Wayne, Richmond, Columbia City and Peru — but only Warsaw is looking to add more regulations. “This tries to kill our business,” he said.

City resident Craig Nayrocker also addressed the council warning them to carefully consider the ordinance. “Unintended consequences can result. The free marketplace is the best solution. The free market will take care of this,” he said.

“The ordinance does need some work,” Woodward concluded. “The basis is good, but we just need to watch our step as a community to not chase away investors.”

Thallemer said a committee of city planners and leaders and local landlords will continue discussions on the ordinance. It will be presented again to the council at a later date.