Johnson County Considering New Rental, Property Requirements

By Gregg Hennigan, Reporter

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By Richard Pratt

Story Created: Jul 28, 2010 at 2:19 PM CST

Story Updated: Jul 28, 2010 at 2:19 PM CST

IOWA CITY – Johnson County may soon have rental and property codes that require rural land be maintained to certain standards.

The proposals come in response to years of problems at Regency Mobile Home Park, but the county’s supervisors said Wednesday they’d want them to apply to all rental and owner-occupied properties.

The supervisors said the ordinances should focus on life-safety issues dealing with things like water quality and fire protection rather than the broader requirements found in cities for items like grass length. They also asked planning and zoning staff to have drafts ready for their review within the next few weeks.

“I don’t want to be talking about this six months from now,” Supervisor Janelle Rettig said. “I want to adopt something quickly.”

Without the codes, the county is limited it what it can do about nuisance properties. It inspects new construction for things like electrical, plumbing and gas hookups and foundations, but not existing structures.

The county’s Public Health Department can respond to concerns on the exterior of homes but generally not the inside, which is the subject of most complaints from renters.

The county first discussed the proposed ordinances in the early spring. They were motivated in part by the long-established problems at Regency Mobile Home Park just south of Iowa City, which include issues with the water supply, abandoned homes and debris.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office this month opened an investigation after allegations came out that Regency, whose corporate owner is Colorado-based Churchill Group, has sold mobile homes without clear titles and without making buyers aware that back taxes are owed.

Also on Wednesday, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office confirmed that the Johnson County attorney’s office had contacted officials within the AG’s consumer protection division and discussions were under way about the situationat Regency.

Several Regency tenants were at Wednesday’s meeting.

Anthony Williams said he bought three homes and never received the titles and later found out they had $8,000 in unpaid back taxes.

“That’s not my debt,” he told the supervisors. “Why should I have to pay them?”

Other residents said that they recently have been given new leases that require personal information never before requested, like Social Security numbers, and also release park management from all liability for any safety issues that may exist.

They also said people who speak publicly about the conditions at the park have been threatened with eviction.

Resident Daise Polton, a longtime critic of how the park is managed, said she’s been told to expect an eviction notice soon. She said the given reason is she owes some back rent, but she said some of the evictions are being done to “get back at people.”

Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness said some of those issues are civil matters and beyond the authority of her office.

Churchill Group officials have not responded to repeated phone messages this month seeking comment and did not immediately return a message left Wednesday.

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