M & M (Morphed and Money)

Dear DeKalb City Council,

After sitting in the audience and watching the October 16 COW meeting on the budget and discussion on Q31, I felt compelled to do a little research and blow the dust off my filing cabinet filled with documents and video (over 200 hours) from the last decade on issues primarily with Crime Free Housing and the Commercial Building Inspection Program.

Several Items are attached.

The citizens and stakeholders of DeKalb continue to lose confidence in DeKalb City Government. Why??? Because programs/policies over the last two decades continue to Morph into new programs/policies WITHOUT citizen and stakeholder input, costing the stakeholders and city more Money.

Commercial Building Inspection Program – Dec 8, 2014

• “No fees imposed for registration or any New inspections” – see attached
• “No additional staff proposed to be hired and no additional personal cost. Program would use on duty fire fighters” – see attached
• “Basic Fire Inspection (Interior/exterior for commercial and industrial Properties)” – see attached one-page simple inspection report.

Are we still using a Basic Fire Inspection or has it escalated? Ask the Business Owners.

Why has this program Morphed into a program costing the city and stakeholders more Money???

Who authorized changes and costs to fire inspection program without any stake holder and citizen input???

Why are we going to charge commercial property owners a fee when it was proposed as no cost to city or building owners? Wait, there is no MONEY!!

Why are we going to charge commercial building owners a fee to subsidize the community development department code department? (WHICH IS ALREADY SUBSIDIZED BY THE LANDLORD REGISTRATION FEE). Wait there is no MONEY!!!

If Landlords and Commercial Property owners are going to subsidize the code department, maybe residential property owners should register and pay a fee as well? The city needs the money to fund a code department. I believe all citizens expect some level of code enforcement. Let’s not forget the complete code department was eliminated for several years about 10 years ago.

Crime Free Housing / Landlord Registration

• Who restructured crime free housing department, disbanded it, and moved it under community development without any stakeholder input???
• Why are there no resources, tenant landlord handbook, links or information on the city website that used to be there under crime free housing???

DARA met with the former City Manager to request input and an accounting of the fees charged. On Dec 4, 2017, she released a Crime Free Housing Analysis Report. The report is skewed and inaccurately representing the facts. I stated, “Figures don’t Lie, Liars Figure.” When the City Manager was presented the accurate information and how the program has MORPHED into fees charged that do not equal services rendered, she threatened us with retaliatory action.

I have the facts and information from an historical perspective and am always willing to share them with you. Dave Jacobson was the only councilman present when most of these policies were put in place and how they have Morphed over the years.

The Trick for M & M is “How to get them to melt in our mouth and not in our hands.”

Respectfully and Thank You For Your Time,

Will Heinisch
Local Businessman and Landlord

PS: Your comments or responses are appreciated and share with others.
BCC: DeKalb City Council

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