CARBONDALE, Ill. — The city of Carbondale is soliciting applications from citizens to serve on a new committee as part of its ongoing process to reform housing regulations in the city.
The Rental Housing Licensing Committee will be comprised of four landlords, four Carbondale tenants including at least one Southern Illinois University-Carbondale undergraduate student, one at-large citizen, two city councilmembers and two city staff employees.
The committee will work toward generating ideas as the city works to establish rental licensing for landlords in Carbondale to better enforce current city ordinances and uphold a standard of housing in the town.
“They’re going to let us know, ‘What are your big problems?’” John Lenzini, community development manager, said. “We really want to hear it straight from the people experiencing these issues.”
Citizens interested in serving on the committee have until Sept. 15 to submit a written letter of interest to Mayor Carolin Harvey via email at charvey@carbondaleil.gov.
The letter must include name, address, reason for interest, and a detailed description of the applicant’s background or resume. All inquiries will be confidential until appointments are made.
John Lenzini, Carbondale community development manager, said rental licensing will look to bring housing in Carbondale “up to par” with ordinances intended for safety and quality.
Lenzini said rental licensing will not change laws surrounding Carbondale housing, but instead improve the city’s ability to enforce current laws.
“This is something that’s designed to toughen up our enforcement of the housing codes,” Lenzini said. “We’re not changing the codes. We’re not making it tougher. We’re still enforcing the same codes that we’ve been enforcing for the past several years.”
Lenzini noted that several communities, particularly upstate, have rental licensing initiatives with varying degrees of success.
He said having more effective means to enforce existing city code would ideally lead to better conditions for the local economy and community.
“The ability to offer safe, attractive housing helps you do things like attract businesses to row or start in your community,” Lenzini said. “It also helps things like increasing enrollment at SIU or at John A. Logan [College].”
While the rental licensing may impact some landlords in Carbondale, Lenzini insisted that it will only impact landlords whose properties are not meeting the established standard of living in the community.
“This is not about demonizing landlords. It’s about bringing the landlords who are not performing, up to par with the other ones,” Lenzini said. “If you’re already doing what you should be doing, then the rental licensing isn’t going to affect you one little bit.”
Once the committee is established, there is no timetable for how rental licensing will be rolled out, as Lenzini said the city will likely prioritize quality over expediency.
“We would like to come out with a very good product, because this is something that is going to probably be on the books 10, 15, 20 years before it’s modified again,” Lenzini said. “We want to make sure that we’re prepared to handle any sort of rental situation for several decades to come.”
Anyone with a current housing problem is encouraged to reach out to the city of Carbondale Building and Neighborhood Services division, which is currently responsible for enforcing the city’s building codes. They can be reached at 618-457-3237.
Brandyn Wilcoxen is a reporter for The Southern Illinoisan.
