Bemidji City Council Scraps New Proposed Rental Ordinance

As the Bemidji City Council looked to continue the second reading of a new rental ordinance at their latest meeting on Monday, councilors decided to vote on an option that was not initially presented – to scrap the proposed ordinance and start over.

After being worked on for over a year, the new ordinance brought about debates of occupancy and safety among those on the council. Due to this deadlock, city staff presented three options for the council after a request during a November meeting.

The options included going with the current proposal, which would place a occupancy limit based on family relations, or switch to an ordinance with or without a grace period. That would allow a two-year span of time for landlords to comply with egress codes.

The council ultimately decided to vote against the options, which saw pushback from other councilors.

“To me, it’s backwards,” said At-Large Councilor Daniel Jourdain. “I’m upset at this council, and there’s a very good reason, because … all this work that was put forward by staff means nothing. I feel sad for the people that are waiting for these types of changes to happen, and it’s in the ordinance right here.”

The council plans to hold a public listening session when they reconvene in January.