Council to consider rental license fees, director position

The council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at the Falls Municipal Building. An agenda is considered tentative until the government body begins the meeting and makes additions or deletions to the proposed agenda.

The city’s Finance and Legislation Committee is expected to recommend setting an annual rental license fee structure charged to landlords of $20 for each single family unit; $25 for a multi-family unit; and $30 for four units or more.

The committee is also expected, based on a June committee meeting, to recommend inspection of rental units with no inspection fee charged to landlords in the first year.

Inspections have been proposed to ensure that rental units are meeting safety requirements. The city may attempt to partner with staff of the United States Housing and Urban Development, which already inspects HUD subsidized rental units. Inspections would only be conducted with advance notice to landlords, who would be expected to notify their tenants, according to city staff.

Meanwhile, the city’s Economic Development Authority Board, made up of the city council, is expected to recommend Mason be hired to fill a newly created position of director of economic and community development.

Mason announced earlier that she would not seek reelection to the council and will leave the position when a new mayor is seated in January.

Mason and Paul Nevanen, who serves as the director of the Koochiching Economic Development Authority, were named in June as finalists for the position among 11 applicants.

In other business Monday, the council is scheduled to consider recommendations to extend a commercial loan, approve a labor agreement with the police officers union and approve a salary adjustment for the administrative assistant position.

The council offers an opportunity for public comment at the beginning of each regular meeting and concludes with reports by administration, department heads and members of the council.