Du Quoin inspection ordinance put on public display

<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A slightly tweaked city ordinance regulating inspections of rental properties in Du Quoin is on track for final approval next month.<br /> <span class="contextualExtensionHighlight ms-font-color-themePrimary ms-border-color-themePrimary ident_287_576" tabindex="0">Commissioners voted at Monday's meeting of the Du Quoin City Council to put on public display proposed regulations that would allow the Du Quoin Fire Department to provide the initial response whenever a report of a potential life-safety violation is made from rental property in the city.</span><br /> The fire department would then assess the situation, and if cause is found, the city would have the power to order that the property's landlord obtain an inspection of the property.<br /> An earlier version of the ordinance considered by the council would have required a complete inspection of any rental unit before it is rented to a new occupant, but council members deemed that policy to be too intrusive.<br /> On Monday night, Commissioner Dale Spencer expressed concern that when fielding a complaint, the fire chief should be directed to first contact the landlord to see whether he or she is aware of the reported issue before taking any further investigative action. Council members agreed to amend the proposed ordinance to reflect that change.<br /> Also, at the request of the mayor and council members, city attorney Aaron Atkins agreed to add language allowing not just tenants to make complaints about a property, but anyone.<br /> Action on the issue is largely a reaction to two condemnations over the past several months at the Elkhurst Apartments and the Midwest Inn, both of which were handled in ways very similar to what city leaders are now considering codifying into ordinance. <br /> About 10 people attended a public hearing on the issue earlier this month, and multiple questions were asked about why the city plans to pass an ordinance covering powers it apparently already has.<br /> Mayor Guy Alongi said making the policy that worked in those instances part of city law would make obtaining future court orders simpler. He added that city leaders want to be as unobtrusive with the law as possible but that something needs to be done, because it costs tens of thousands of dollars to tear down a dilapidated property.<br /> Alongi previously said using the fire department as the first assessor of a complaint's validity will provide a "check valve" so that property owners don't become subject to an inspection simply because of one unfounded complaint.</span></span>