Dear Mayor and Commissioners
First, please know that I have been busy with family for nearly two months and have been absent from important city discussions and events. I hear that things have been tough. We as a caring community need to continue moving forward for the benefit of all.
Towards that end, I continue to support the renters initiative. As a landlord who has been paying the Landlord Fee of $147/year/per property, I don’t buy into the hype that the fee will significantly impact the profitability of property owners. If it does, the owner likely needs to reconsider their business model. Many hours of research and discussion and many bright brains have gone into the ordinance. The requirements for properties are reasonable. The cost of enacting energy efficiency methods and materials will help the renter short term and the property owner long term. The methods will reduce the wear and tear on HVACs and, when replacement is needed, may allow for a new system to be a smaller system, thus lowering cost. Energy efficiency in rentals is also a very important in our goal of being a sustainable city.
Please know that out of your sight I continue to be involved in social justice and environmental issues. As always, please let me know if I can be of assistance to you.
Janice Garry