Landlords address City Council

While City Council members hoped to focus on agenda items at Tuesday's meeting, a group of Carbondale landlords had another idea, proposing the start of a commission that would help improve landlord/tenant relations.

Bonnie Owen, a Carbondale landlord, read a letter at the meeting that outlined a plan for the commission, which she said she hopes would outlive the last such venture, the Residential Leasing Task Force, which was created in 1999 and has dissolved over the years.

"For years we have talked about having something like this," Owen said. "What we really need is a group that is for that specific purpose."

The Residential Leasing Task Force was a cooperative effort with student representatives as well as property owners to improve communication between renters and owners but quickly failed because of lack of activity.

Owen said the proposed commission would be overseen by the city and members would be appointed by the City Council, which would help its longevity.

Owen said the main group of tenants she hopes the commission will focus on is SIUC students. She said the commission would ideally be made up of several SIUC student tenants as well as some landlords.

"What we would really like to do is get students behind this," Owen said.

Undergraduate Student Government Senator Cody Chullen was present at the meeting and said this commission is a necessity for the students.

"I think it's an excellent idea, and students at SIU think it's an excellent idea," Chullen said.

Another item brought to the council by the community dealt with the cleanup of contamination at the former Koppers Wood Treatment Plant A group of citizens from northeast Carbondale came in and expressed their desire for the city to get involved in the situation.

Willie Neal, a former resident of the area in question, called upon the council to investigate whether there are people suffering from medical conditions due to the contamination. He suggested the city work with the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the matter further.

"We would like to know when and if the city of Carbondale will get involved," Neal said.

Mayor Brad Cole said the council had researched the contamination through records from the EPA and was taking measures to investigate if there were any people with health problems stemming from the spills.

"I have specifically requested and corresponded that the state do such a study," Cole said.

Back on track with agenda items, the council voted down an ordinance proposed by Councilman Chris Wissmann that would require medical providers to disclose any disciplinary actions taken against them within the past five years by the state of Illinois. The city attorney said he would not sign the ordinance because his research showed it was unconstitutional. Councilmen Chris Wissmann and Lance Jack stood alone in support of the ordinance.