Landlords to Alliance: Don't regulate rentals or else

ALLIANCE − Landlords are warning city officials plans to regulate rental properties will backfire.

At least 50 property owners and some tenants expressed their opposition to the city's plans Monday night to Alliance City Council.

Several of them said the city's proposals − initiating a registry fee and city inspections − would increase rent and vacancies. They said lower-income tenants wouldn't be able afford the higher rents that would result from the new regulations.

"What's going to happen when all these people with fixed incomes can't afford rent increases?" asked Mike Porter, a tenant.

More: Landlords are not OK with Alliance's plans for rental properties

Nearly 60% of residential homes in Alliance are rental properties. City officials have said they want the city to have "some minimum standards" to increase the quality of life in Alliance and have safe places for people to live.

The landlords said they were the best option for improving the quality of life − not new regulations.

"If you want the housing to improve, don't stand in our way," property owner Tyler Davis told City Council.

City Council's Planning, Zoning and Housing Committee has been working on the proposal for months and no legislation has been drafted.

Another landlord, Wesley Schulz, said he and his partner buy distressed houses and fix them to "make them better" for residents.

"We might not agree on everything," he said, "but (property owners) are your greatest asset."

Larry Johnson, a member of the Alliance Property Owners Association, said he thinks the proposal is meant to generate more revenue for the city. He also said the group has started a petition expressing opposition to the city's plans.

Another association member, Eric M. Wohlwend, who owns Clear Sky Realty, said most cities that impose these types of regulations either end up in litigation, or see a decrease in occupancy. For example, he said he won't buy property in the city of Canton due to their regulations.

Councilman Phillip Mastroianni, chairman of the Planning, Zoning and Housing Committee, welcomed the feedback.

"We really want to hear what the community has to say," he said afterward.

Mastroianni added that while opposition has been more vocal about the plans, the proposal also has supporters.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Landlords, some tenants, oppose Alliance's rental plans