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5/19/2025 - City Council - Work Session - Agendas CITY OF SPRING PARK WORK SESSION AGENDA - MAY 19, 2025 – 5:00 PM SPRING PARK CITY HALL (Work Session discussion times are approximate) 1. 5:00: Rental Licensing 2. 5:30: Council Meeting Protocol & Decorum specific to Public Comment and Presentations • Public comment: o a. Timing o b. Council response o c. Follow-up process • Presentations o a. Council response o b. Management of additional information provided o c. Follow-up process 3. 5:55: First Look – 2026 Budget 4. 6:00: Adjourn 866.977.4111 | SAFEbuilt.com Rental Housing Program 1. Working with each jurisdiction on an appropriate communication strategy, homeowners and landlords are notified and educated about the program. The notification may include a pre- inspection check list. A registration process begins which includes a fee. 2. Registered rental housing owners are notified that SAFEbuilt will be handling the inspection process on behalf of the community. 3. On a pre-determined schedule our inspector will schedule a review of the property and conduct an inspection using the International Property Maintenance Code or adopted local ordinances. 4. After the inspection, a report is provided to the owner with specific instructions about any needed repairs that may be required. The report also indicates a reasonable timeline for the repairs to be completed. 5. If repairs are needed, a follow-up inspection is scheduled and performed. 6. Upon approval, the owner receives a certificate of compliance that the inspection was passed. Many communities across the country have some sort of rental inspection ordinance or requirement with the primary intent of protecting the tenants from harm. There are numerous benefits to a rental housing with inspections program, including: • Safety of the tenants • Improved neighborhoods, decreased blight • Improved property values, for owners and neighbors • Self-funded program • Provides rental database and insight into rental density Register homeowners & landlords, provide inspection checklist, and collect fees How does the program work? Schedule and conduct inspections, report necessary repairs, conduct followup inspection Owner receives Certificate of Compliance 866.977.4111 | SAFEbuilt.com Frequently Asked Questions What if my city/town doesn’t have a rental housing/inspection ordinance? We can help provide ordinance samples from other similar-sized communities to get you started. Being proactive is encouraged as many communities don’t address this issue until there is a tragedy or unfortunate accident as a result of a poorly maintained property. Having a safe community for all of our residents is a priority, what kind of resistance might we expect? Responsible landlords will ultimately view this as a way to protect their investment and those who rent from them. Experience has shown that it’s the less responsible landlords that might be the vocally opposed. What is the purpose of a rental housing program? Our purpose is to identify potential safety hazards per the International Property Maintenance Code and any applicable local ordinances. It would also provide information on violations along with instructions and a timeline for necessary repairs to appropriate municipal staff. Will this increase rental rates? We have found that while this is a threat, rental rates are really about supply and demand. A property owner that can certify compliance of a rental property can actually have more appeal in the marketplace. Contact us today about setting up a Rental Housing Inspection program in your community! Alan Greene | agreene@safebuilt.com | 224.250.4010 About SAFEbuilt SAFEbuilt is a leading outsourced building services provider that improves flexibility, minimizes disruptions, and increases speed to revenue. Offering a breadth of professional services and support options, SAFEbuilt helps communities achieve their growth goals while meeting their budget needs. Visit SAFEbuilt.com to learn more. RENTAL HOUSING/PROPERTY MAINTENANCE SERVICES Spring Park, MN Alan D. Greene Account M anager 224-250-4010 agreene@safebuilt.com 2 | P a g e Mr. Mike Anderson City Administrator City of Spring Park, MN 4349 Warren Ave Spring Park, MN 55385 Re: Request for Proposal Regarding Rental Housing/Property Maintenance Services Dear Mike: As per our conversation, please accept SAFEbuilt’s request to provide the village with SAFEbuilt’s Rental Housing/Property Maintenance Services. We are honored by the opportunity to continue assisting the Village with increasing rental unit enforcement activities, obtaining greater code compliance, and improving rental housing conditions and removing blight. With an increasingly tight rental market in the city, it is imperative that housing stock be identified, inspected and available to residents in a timely manner. We have the capacity to continue providing qualified and experienced rental inspection professionals and can easily accommodate fluctuations in inspection volume, saving the city the burden of hiring and retaining qualified staff in the face of an uncertain workload. Our proposed services meet or exceed the city’s requirements for qualified and experienced rental inspection suppliers. We have a thorough understanding of the local requirements and legislation that affects rental housing ordinances. While pointing to a history of successful collaboration with your city and numerous nationwide municipalities, we will not rely solely on our past accomplishments, but also on our ability to differentiate ourselves as the only vendor that provides the highest quality services and most enhanced value to your city. Our dedication to customer services and establishing partnerships with the communities we service stand as a distinguishing factor of our company and our people. If the city chooses to contract with SAFEbuilt, we will assume all responsibility for implementation and ongoing support of the program. Enclosed please find our firm overview, approach to services, recommended fee structure and our Rental Housing Program brochure which will provided to you with some additional highlights of the program. We are excited to earn your continued trust and partnership in moving forward toward the upcoming years. Please contact me at 224-250-4010 or via email at agreene@safebuilt.com should you have any questions about our proposal. We appreciate your business and look forward to working with the Spring Park team to implement this program. 3 | P a g e Sincerely, Alan D. Greene Account Manager 4 | P a g e FIRM OVERVIEW In November 1992, SAFEbuilt began providing exceptional Community Development services to local governments. Today, we are a national leader performing value-added professional, technical, and consulting services in 37 states and the District of Columbia for the efficient delivery of third-party solutions. While we started by simply providing construction inspections and plan review for several communities in Northern Colorado, our areas of service have expanded over the past 33 years to include: ✓ Full Service and Supplemental Building Department Operations ✓ Residential and Commercial Roof Inspections ✓ Residential, Commercial and Industrial Plan Review ✓ Building, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Inspection ✓ Fire Plan Review ✓ Code Enforcement ✓ Permit Technician ✓ Certified Building Official ✓ Community Development Automation Software ✓ Expedited Plan Review, Inspections, and Engineering for Special Projects ✓ Housing Authority Inspections ✓ Planning and Zoning Services ✓ Disaster Recovery ✓ Arborist and Landscape Design Over the decades, our capacity has grown to nearly 2,000 full-time employees, providing flexibility and economy of scale to nearly 1,500 communities like yours. We are skilled at assessing time commitments, developing an accurate work plan, assigning personnel, and quickly fine - tune staffing levels to always maintain the highest level of customer service. SAFEbuilt hand-picks staff uniquely qualified and experienced to deliver the exact services requested. Once assigned to a project, our team members are dedicated to that project until completion. We employee all proposed staff full time, providing all the requested services. Rental Housing/Property Maintenance Services | La Grange Park , IL M A APPROACH Below is a high-level description of the approach SAFEbuilt will offer. Registration The owner of a rental dwelling or of any dwelling newly converted to a rental unit shall register the unit prior to allowing occupancy to any tenants. To get started, a Rental Registration Program Application must be completed. An inspection will be scheduled for the unit(s) prior to occupancy. This applies to properties that are used for daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, seasonal, or vacation rentals. Landlords must keep their information up to date using the Rental Program Contact Form. Once in the program, if a landlord decides to remove their unit(s), they must contact SAFEbuilt and complete a Rental Registration Program Removal Request. Inspections Inspections are performed on a to be determined cycle. It is the responsibility of the owner to contact SAFEbuilt to schedule inspections within a specified timeframe and to contact the tenants with the date/time when the inspector is coming. If the property owner does not contact SAFEbuilt during in the appropriate timeframe SAFEbuilt will schedule the inspection and notify the property owner via email, mail, or phone. As part of the program SAFEbuilt will: • Customize our approach at the direction of Municipal Council/Board and staff • Manage the program and attend meetings as requested • Accept and review application forms and determine compliance with ordinance requirements • Inspect dwellings, dwelling units, and properties to ensure compliance with ordinance requirements • Issue documentation for dwelling, dwelling units and properties found to be in compliance • Provide documentation for dwelling, dwelling units and property in violation of requirements • Provide rental inspection services as called for by ordinance or state law, whichever has jurisdiction • Facilitate annual rental registration and provide (to be determined) rental dwelling inspections • Provide statistical, narrative information and detailed reports within agreed upon frequencies Reporting Services • SAFEbuilt will work with the municipality to develop a mutually agreeable reporting schedule and format. Homeowner/Landlord notified, registers, and pays fee Certificate of Compliance Notification introducing SAFEbuilt RENTAL INSPECTION PROGRAM Inspection Followup Schedule and conduct inspection Rental Housing/Property Maintenance Services | La Grange Park , IL M A SAFEbuilt is committed to: ✓Ongoing planning, re-examination, and re-evaluation of our processes to maintain alignment with the latest CDC guidelines ✓Maximizing digital collaboration tools ✓Staying engaged and connected with our customers virtually ✓Keeping up-to-date with the latest changes in local and national policies and protocols A Proactive Approach to Work During COVID-19 As the world continues to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the way we do business is changing and adapting. In response, SAFEbuilt leadership continues to work hard to keep our employees, customers, and the communities we serve safe while ensuring business continuity. To slow the spread and impact of COVID-19, SAFEbuilt implemented several safety protocols for personal interface, and we have identified many alternative approaches to deliver services remotely. SAFEbuilt customers can take advantage of our remote capabilities during this unprecedented time to help minimize service disruptions as we possibly enter the next wave of this pandemic. SAFEbuilt will not allow a global pandemic to disrupt the continuity of operations for our customers. To ensure that we can continue to provide services to the City of Spring Park during these unprecedented times, we are taking precautions to ensure the safety of your community and the people living and working within it. — ENHANCED SAFETY PROTOCOLS — ✓ Pre-screening customers during scheduling ✓ Limiting the number of people on- site during an inspection ✓ Encouraging the use of video calls ✓ Purchasing additional PPE for employee use — INCREASED HEALTH MEASURES — ✓ Maintaining proper social distancing ✓ Wearing facemasks to prevent communal spread ✓ Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces, as recommended by the CDC ✓ Frequent handwashing and sanitizing — ENCOURAGE REMOTE INSPECTIONS — ✓ Uses video technology to transmit live video feed of inspection area ✓ During virtual inspection the inspector directs the customer to walk through the inspection process to verify code compliance ✓ Video footage and photos are retained with the inspection documentation ✓ SAFEbuilt has conducted more than 200 remote inspections through the country — RECOMMEND REMOTE PLAN Rental Housing/Property Maintenance Services | La Grange Park , IL M A REVIEWS — ✓ Customers can conveniently submit their plans and monitor status remotely ✓ Customer can access the portal anytime and anywhere without office hour restrictions or personal interface ✓ Offers faster turnaround time through national access to qualified plan review staff Rental Housing/Property Maintenance Services | La Grange Park IL FEE STRUCTURE RECOMMENDED FEE STRUCTURE SAFEbuilt is proposing that all scopes of the project be provided at no cost to the City of Spring Park. The fees listed below will be charged to the property owner and a 90%/10% split with the City. Recommended Fees Per Unit Registration Certificate (one-time fee) $50.00 Inspection $95.00 RE-inspection (if violations require) $75.00 Missed/Broken Scheduled Inspection $50.00 Complaint Inspection (valid) $100.00 Unregistered Rental 1st Notice $200.00 Unregistered Rental 2nd Notice $400.00 Reinspection Fee 1st $100.00 Reinspection Fee 2nd $200.00 Enforcement Letter $150.00 City of Spring Park 4349 WARREN AVENUE, SPRING PARK, MINNESOTA 55384-9711 (952) 471-9051 FAX (952) 471-9160 WWW.CI.SPRING-PARK.MN.US Staff Memo: General Fund: 2026 Preliminary Levy To: Spring Park – Mayor and Council From: Mike Anderson, City Administrator Subject: 2026 Preliminary Levy First Look The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with background information regarding the proposed draft 2026 preliminary levy in preparation for budget season. As of today, we are currently looking at an approx. 6% levy or $103,000.00 dollars increase. This number is likely to change throughout the next few months. This is based on staff recommendations to this date, discussions, and projected increases for contracts, bond payments, and includes the capital project funds. The proposed levy increase includes: - Police Contract: 5% increase - Public Works Contract: 5% increase - Fire Services: 5% budgeted, discussions in progress - COLA for Staff: 3% - 5% increase for Health Insurance - Adding $50,000 to transfer into CIP plan - 5% placeholder for contracted services This is just a first look as we are waiting for information from services that will better help us forecast the 2026 Levy. Utilities – We have heard from the Met Council on our annual sewer charges. Based on last years water usage, we will be getting a decrease of 6%. This will help the sewer fund cash flow for 2026.