City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: FEBRUARY 7, 2018
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading, Final Passage of an Ordinance Amendment Clarifying the Boundaries of the City’s Residential Rental Inspection Program.
BODY
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ISSUE: Section 8-1-113 of the Code of the City of Alexandria states that structures within certain “Census tracts” are subject to the City’s Residential Rental Inspection program. The Section does not specify, however, which decennial census is controlling. This is important because census tracts change regularly. Section 8-1-113 must be updated to clarify that the controlling census tracts are those that existed as of the year 2000 census. The year 2000 census is controlling because it was the census that the City Council consulted when Section 8-1-113 was originally adopted. If a different census is said to be controlling, the boundaries of the program would be altered and the City Council would be required to hold new fact-finding hearings as required by Code of Virginia §36-105.1:1.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council adopt the proposed ordinance on first reading and set the ordinance for second reading, public hearing, and final passage on February 24, 2018. The proposed ordinance would clarify that the geographical boundaries of the Residential Rental Inspection program are set by the year 2000 census.
DISCUSSION: In 2010 the City of Alexandria established its Residential Rental Inspection District program. The program was created pursuant to authority granted by the Code of Virginia and by the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. After holding the requisite hearings, the City Council adopted City Code Section 8-1-113 - the provision which established the geographic boundaries of the program. These boundaries were keyed to various “census tracts” of the City. Since the time of the program’s creation, however, the census tracts of the City have changed. As a result, some of the census tracts that are identified in 8-1-113 either do not exist, or have been split into smaller tracts. This amendment seeks to clarify that the boundaries of the program are still governed by the City’s census tracts as they existed in the year 2000 census. It should be noted that the City’s enforcement efforts have not changed since the adoption of the original City Code Section 8-1-113. Enforcement officers have continued to enforce the program based upon the 2000 census tracts.
Additionally, this amendment seeks to make two non-substantive / stylistic changes to City Code Sections 8-1-111 and 8-1-120. The first eliminates the superfluous phrase “by the local governing body” in Section 8-1-111. The second changes the title of subsection 8-1-120 to more accurately reflect its substance.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Proposed Ordinance
2. Cover Sheet
STAFF:
Emily A. Baker, Deputy City Manager
Gregg Fields, Director of Code Administration
Alan McMahan, Deputy Director of Code Administration
Travis MacRae, Assistant City Attorney