Over 400 letters went out to Slatington rental property owners regarding the advertisement of ordinance number 674. The ordinance, an updated version of a 2008 established ordinance, focused on rental property conditions and landlord responsibilities.

The updated code contains an inspection checklist for each rental unit. Landlords will be held responsible for complying with the ordinance or face a fine. The list states that properties must be in "good repair" both exterior and interior, smoke detectors installed on each floor with one in each bedroom, bathrooms must have operable ventilation, and all electrical receptacles and switches must have covers with proper grounding, to name a few.Michael Meyers, Washington Township resident and Slatington property owner, spoke about his frustrations with the ordinance and checklist, saying it was "vague.""Why was the ordinance brought about?" he asked.Duane Dellecker said, "The committee wanted a defined checklist versus just borough codes.""So what's the fee? If it's going into general fund and you don't know what the fee is, you can't call it a fee. It's a tax. What's the difference between rental and private properties?" Meyers asked.Councilman David Schnaars said there will be a $25 licensing fee as well as a $45 inspection fee per individual unit."There are a lot of landlords that are not local. We spend a lot of time on repeat nuisance apartments," said council President Gwyneth Jones."Those are the people you should focus on instead of having this guy (Dellecker) go out and inspect all of them.""It'll only be when property changes hands," Jones said."I can show you a lot of blighted properties around that are never inspected.""If you maintain your properties, you shouldn't be upset," Jones said."I am a respectable man, trying to get the government out of my pocket and my living room.""We have to start somewhere," Jones said."This ordinance has been on the books, and we've taken a lot of heat for it," Schnaars said."This fella (Councilman Bryon Reed) owns two, one at Center and Williams Street. And nothing will be done about them," Meyers said."If you take care of your properties you shouldn't have a problem," Jones said again.Kris Burek took the podium to ask about Reed's properties."In April 2013 a complaint was made by a concerned citizen. You wrote a defiant letter saying 'complaint shows no just cause, it's located at the other end of the borough,' " Burek said to Dellecker."I love how you paraphrase things," he said."Are you going to treat his properties the same?" Burek said, motioning to Reed."If the complaint is valid," Dellecker said.Mel Gildner questioned the board on the number of rental properties in the borough. The answer is an estimated 500."The ones I saw in 2011, over 100 people should've been fined. How many people have been to the magistrate?" Gildner asked."We've discussed this several times. How long will you beat a dead horse?" Jones said."You've got to stop discriminating," Gildner said.Inspections will most likely be prompted by moving permit requests."Where we are having problems are people renting one to two months and trashing the place for the next person who has to move in," said Councilman Jon Rinker."That's why we have ordinances. There's hoarders down the street. If landlords keep up with properties it won't be a problem," Councilman Joe Wechsler said."We are trying to eliminate landlords who say, 'take it or leave it.' We need to start somewhere.""If it comes out of a landlord's pocket, he'll be more careful who he rents to," Jones said."I'm sure you don't want to rent to someone who's going to wreck your place," Rinker said to Meyers."Sometimes neighbors of rentals are more of a problem," Meyers said."The better we take care of properties, the better the borough will be," Wechsler said."We are just trying to make the borough better; we've been talking about this for years," said Rinker.The board voted to advertise the ordinance with Reed the only member in opposition.