Mayor Troup announces ad hoc committee to look at rental property registration issue

Following last week’s marathon City Council meeting that was mostly centered on the issue, Quincy Mayor Mike Troup wasted no time in putting together a committee to look at the possibility of rental property registration in the city.

Troup himself will lead the committee, which will eventually have 10 people. It also includes four aldermen, Eric Entrup, Parker Freiburg, Katie Awerkamp and Jack Holtschlag. Other members include former alderman Jason Finney, Janet Conover, who will represent the city’s Safe and Liveable Housing Committee, and Mark Krogman, who owns multiple properties throughout the city.

Michael Seaver, the city’s director of inspection and enforcement, brought up the issue at the June 8 council meeting and was basically shouted down by a group of aldermen including Jeff Bergman, Mike Farha and Tony Sassen. But then at the June 14 meeting, Troup took up the cause after some members of the community expressed support to improve rental housing.

“There’s got to be a way to improve these living conditions,” Troup said after last week’s meeting, citing numerous examples of rental properties with filth, trash and in need of major repairs. “I wouldn’t want my dog to spend a night in any of these facilities. I think Quincyans have enough pride in what we want to offer. We want to clean up the community, and we need to step it up to have safe housing.”

The City Council agreed to table the ordinance until September to give the committee time to examine the issue and amend a proposed ordinance that would establish a residential rental property registration code with the teeth of enforcement.

Troup said the committee would meet at least four times during July and August.