Jordan Stopak-Behr fills Tupperware containers with dining hall food several times a week to avoid grocery costs. He never spends his check from his work-study job in the Allison Hall mail room and quit smoking cigarettes because they are too expensive.
Stopak-Behr, a Communication freshman, has been saving up money since September so he can live in an off-campus apartment next year.
So he was outraged to hear that the cost of renting in Evanston might increase next year.
“How can (the city government) tack on even more costs when living here is already so expensive?” Stopak-Behr asked, regarding a pending City Council resolution which will add an annual $40 per unit licensing fee for residential rental dwelling units.
The Planning and Development Committee introduced the item in an 8-1 vote during its Feb. 11 meeting, but postponed action on the issue so the city staff can collect more information regarding how the proposed fee will be enforced.
City Manager Julia Carroll suggested the licensing program, which is expected to add $560,000 in revenue, in her proposed 2008-09 budget.
The revenue would help reduce a possible 15.15 percent property tax increase and feed the suffering fire and pension funds.
Most of the debate during the committee meeting focused on how efficiently the bill will be enforced and who will be affected by its implementation.
“I absolutely would go along with some kind of licensing or registration requirement,” said Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th), at the meeting. “But at the end of the day, we have to get better in terms of our enforcement, no matter what we do.”
Almost all of the aldermen said that they wanted the licensing program to be a way to keep track of Evanston’s irresponsible landlords, but council members’ opinions diverged regarding how the new rental fee would be enforced.
“Based upon what I’ve seen with our other ordinances, I can’t support this blanket $40 fee across the board,” said Anjana Hansen (9th), the City Council’s lone dissenter. “I agree that we should register these people. I think we have the tools and the means to be able to do that, but because I have such a question in my mind about enforcement, I can’t in good conscience agree to this licensing fee.”
Bernstein advocated a system in which negligent landlords would be charged a higher fee, but Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) supported the current resolution and its flat rate.
Delaying the issue or doing nothing to solve it “is exactly what has happened over the years so our problem has festered,” Rainey said. “I think it is time to seize the moment and try to figure out a way to do this in a fair way.”
The committee will resume discussion on the issue at its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Evanston Civic Center.
