Butler City Council discussed a rental inspection program that would empower tenants, encourage landlords to maintain rental properties and protect both parties.

The program would implement inspections in rental properties under certain conditions.

The program would prevent blight, improve property maintenance, reduce slum housing, promote tenant empowerment, strengthen the rental market and boost tenant-landlord relations, council member Donald Shearer said.

According to Shearer’s proposal, the rental property inspection would occur at the request of the tenant, at the request of the landlord, when there is a change in tenant or if the property receives two code violations in 12 months. The inspection would cost $75, Shearer said, which equates to about $2 a month.

“The inspection should not trigger any unexpected or unreasonable costs that come with the property,” he said.

The average rate of changing tenants is every three years, he added.

“So if a good landlord was expected to change a tenant once every three years, if someone moves out in six months, sorry, (the property) is going to be inspected,” Shearer said.

Shearer noted “horror stories” about properties falling into disrepair and certain landlords locking tenants out of their apartments, shutting off their heat and water. In these cases, landlords were trying to circumvent the eviction process, Shearer said.

His proposal included research about rental properties in the city and involved talking to residents and landlords around the city, he said. The research provided by Shearer also included analysis from turnKey and the 2020 Census.

It stated that 15.7% of rental properties in Butler City are vacant.

Shearer said that with the implementation of such a program, the city would hopefully start to see property values climb back up.

“(The program) is long overdue,” council member Larry Christy, director of public safety, said.

The ordinance would be put to a vote in October, Shearer said.

Council voted to accept a $78,000 fire station modernization grant.

The Pennsylvania 2023 Municipal Fire Department Capital Grant would fund the replacement of four garage doors, Butler City Bureau of Fire chief Chris Switala said.

Council also voted to approve the Assumption and Operation Agreement between the city, Butler Area Sewer Authority and Butler Township and to sign any documents needed to establish a post-employment benefits retirement plan related to the BASA sale.

“There are employees, BASA employees, through collective bargaining agreements and appointed contracts that will have … health care benefits that will be in place longer than BASA when the sale goes through,” said city solicitor Thomas Breth.