Charlotte City Council
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary
COMMITTEE AGENDA TOPICS
I.
Subject:
Action:
Hotel/Motel Ordinance
The Committee received a presentation on the cost of staffing the inspection
function if the city were to gain authority to inspect hotels/motels. The
Committee will decide on whether to recommend a hotel/motel ordinance at
its March 22 meeting.
Staff Resource:
II.
Subject:
Action:
Keith Parker, Walter Abernethy
Mounted Patrol
The Committee received a presentation including updated information on
possible sites to house the horses; the potential sites were narrowed down to
a site at the police academy driving range; the Committee will decide on
whether to recommend a mounted patrol unit to the full Council at its March
22 meeting
Staff Resource:
Keith Parker, Torry Lynn Revels, Laura Lemmond
COMMITTEE INFORMATION
Present:
Absent:
Time:
Turner, Kinsey, Dulin, Mitchell
Foxx
12:10-1:45 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS
1.
2.
Proposed Hotel/Motel Ordinance Update (Power Point)
Mounted Patrol Update (Power Point)
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for February 22, 2007
Page 2
DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS
I.
Subject:
Hotel/Motel Ordinance
Committee Discussion:
The Committee received an update on a proposed ordinance that would allow Code
Enforcement to conduct inspections of hotels/motels. Assistant City Manager Keith
Parker reported on meetings with various stakeholder groups including the apartment
industry. The apartment industry has vacancies in low cost apartments and is willing to
work with the City in relocating individuals and families who live in hotels to low cost
apartments. They would not tolerate criminal activity in apartments and would require
appropriate identification of tenants. Businesses near problem hotels feel as if they are
operating in a “war zone” of drug deals, prostitution, fights, break-ins, etc.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools believe the housing problem is very complex.
Children in a hotel environment is not ideal, and the City would need to coordinate with
housing advocates to insure families using hotels as residences do not end up homeless.
So far, the City’s conversations on this subject have been with staff in the central office.
Council member Kinsey felt individual schools may be closer to the problem and wanted
Keith Parker to talk with some of them.
Council member Kinsey said the City would need to reassure residents that apartment
complexes will not become worse; there is some concern along the Central Avenue
corridor. Keith Parker indicated that criminal background checks would be conducted on
anyone considered for relocation.
Michael Huffstetler, a business owner on Archdale Drive, talked about the crime
generated by neighboring hotels as an issue for both employees and patrons of his
business. He talked about robberies, drug deals in plain sight, and hotel patrons in his
parking lot, resulting in clients not coming to his office because of the perceived stigma
to the neighborhood. Mr. Huffstetler talked about the formation of the Archdale
Coalition with the help of Capt. Diego Anselmo and said the new developer of the Royal
Inn is a part of the coalition. Another hotel in the area has fenced its property in such a
way that anyone walking on the property will be in view of hotel staff. He applauded
CMPD’s efforts to reduce crime in the area; however, he said they alone could not
address all of the issues associated with problem hotels.
Council member Turner expressed concern over how we would access families living in
hotels. He said families with children and the elderly should be relocation priorities. He
wanted to know how those people would get information on accessing other housing and
stressed that the goal was not to make anyone homeless.
Keith Parker responded that apartments will share information on available low cost
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for February 22, 2007
Page 3
housing. The City will meet with advocates for the homeless to determine how to best
disseminate this information. The point is to not let hotels deteriorate to the point that
some have now reached.
The Committee received two possible staffing options for hotel/motel inspections. One
option would assign one of the five existing code enforcement teams to hotel/motel
inspections. This would result in a 14.4% reduction in the Housing Unit compliance
target and a 15.1% reduction in the nuisance abatement target. The other option would
establish a new Hotel/Motel Code Enforcement Team at a cost of $654,850 plus an
additional $150,000 for possible demolitions (demolition costs for hotels/motels will
likely be higher due to issues with asbestos, etc.). An alternate proposal is to assign two
inspectors to extended stay properties. Keith Parker said there is currently a lot of money
being spent dealing with problem hotels/motels, but it is not the most productive use of
our resources. He also said the staffing needs for hotel/motel inspections would decrease
over time as more properties came into compliance.
Council member Dulin requested the cost of a police call for service. Chief Stephens said
that could be calculated although there are variables such as the number of officers
dispatched. The time that police officers spend responding to calls related to problem
hotels/motels is time that cannot be devoted to other community priorities.
Council member Turner wanted to explore having firefighters cross trained to conduct
these inspections since he feels we don’t currently have enough inspectors to meet
existing needs. He said firefighters perform those duties in San Antonio. Deputy Fire
Chief Jon Hannan told the committee that the Fire Department does not support that idea.
Deputy Chief Hannan added the Fire Departmetn is barely meeting its goal of having
ladder companies available to respond to calls 80% of the time, and to add additional
duties would make it less likely to meet their goal.
Most companies have 11-12 calls per day. Firefighters are welcome in every community
and placing them in this type of inspection capacity could jeopardize their acceptance in
the community. The inspections are complex and would best be conducted by personnel
for whom it is the highest priority. Walter Abernethy, code enforcement, outlined the
various levels of certification to conduct inspections and said a level one certificate takes
about two years to earn. Keith Parker expressed concern about the inspections being
conducted with the appropriate level of professionalism and questioned whether that
could be accomplished without personnel whose primary function and training is code
enforcement.
Council member Mitchell suggested implementing a one-year pilot inspection program in
one area of the city. The Committee thought a pilot program might send the message to
Community Safety Committee
Meeting Summary for February 22, 2007
Page 4
hotel/motel owners across the City that they could be next and need to get in compliance.
City Attorney Mac McCarley said it would be possible to find a legal way to target one
area of the city. There would have to be an ordinance. The ordinance should address the
needs of both Code Enforcement and Police.
Keith Parker said an ordinance could be prepared within the next 60 days. City staff still
needs to meet with hotel/motel owners.
II.
Subject:
Mounted Patrol
Committee Discussion:
Keith Parker presented a brief update on the research regarding a mounted patrol unit.
He said a review of potential sites for housing the horses shows that a sight
adjacent to the driving range at the Police/Fire Training Academy is the most feasible
sight. There is a potential site in the Greenville neighborhood, but it would add a year to
the proposed timetable to work with the neighborhood to gain acceptance for locating the
horse barn in the neighborhood. Early reaction from the neighborhood is negative and
residents would likely oppose the idea. Mr. Parker requested direction from the
Committee to continue moving forward and reiterated that staff is taking no position on
the issue.
Council members Dulin and Kinsey expressed concern over the amount of staff time
going into the research and wanted to know how much longer before the Committee
would vote on whether to recommend creation of a mounted patrol unit to the full
Council. Both expressed concern over the potential cost of the unit. Council member
Kinsey said she was not convinced this was the best use of the money, especially in light
of needing to replace both police helicopters in the next few years. Council member
Mitchell felt that horses elicit respect from adults and citizens would feel their
environment is safer when mounted patrols are in the area. He suggested that the
Committee be given true numbers, based on the academy sight, and then have a thorough
discussion at their next meeting on March 22 to vote the issue up or down.
The Committee decided to start its March 22 meeting at 11:00 a.m. The meeting will
begin with a discussion and vote on mounted patrol, followed by a discussion and vote on
whether to pursue a hotel/motel ordinance. The Committee will also hear an update on
Neighborhood Watch.