Thank you.

First on our agenda is the approval of the June fifth minutes.

Do I have a motion?

So move.

Second.

All those in favor?

Thank you.

Next on our agenda is the tenant protections website.

And members of the housing health and education committee.

Uh Alan Etzler, Deputy Chief of Staff.

Here to uh present an informational item and introduce and walk through the city's new tenant protection web pages.

Um this is meant to serve as a hub for renters in Frederick to access essential information uh both on rights but also services that may be available and the regulations that have been implemented uh by the city of Frederick.

Um in May, uh City Council President Nash uh asked us to put together a more comprehensive online resource for renters, um something that was centralized, easy to navigate, and had a lot of information for folks to understand what rights and responsibilities they have as a tenant, what landlord's rights and responsibilities are, and what the city's role is in some of that.

Um we put together a website that is currently uh live but hidden on our website because we are in the process of gathering feedback from community groups, but we've shared that website with the city council.

Um we have shared that with uh city staff.

We put worked with city staff both in DPW Housing and Human Services as well as Council President Nash to put together the information that lives on that page, and we will go through that um shortly.

I do want to note that we think this uh project is relevant and important specifically to this committee, uh, because as you all know, uh renters uh in the community often aren't aware of what rights and responsibilities uh they have or what resources exist to help them.

Um I actually just learned this morning uh through our new director of housing and human services that there is a new state agency uh called the Office of Landlord and Tenant Affairs at the state, and so we're gonna work together to put that information uh for that new department at the state level on this website as well.

So um it's a nice note for our new director and his connections to the state and the knowledge that he has as well.

Um we also want to make sure that folks have access to uh the work that the city council has done and the ordinances and res regulations that you all have implemented, and so those live on this page as well.

Um just to go through the pages, uh the the web kind of pages again, a hub, and there's six sub-navigations with different information on each of them.

That includes rental licensing and property search, tenant rights and responsibilities, reporting issues, code enforcement, housing counseling and legal resources, financial assistance and tax credits, and lease eviction, lease and eviction information.

Um we'll go through each one of those and what that looks like.

But that's just kind of the main project page there, easy clickable buttons for folks to navigate to those those spaces.

Um really one of the cool things that I think that exists that we haven't been able to do in the past prior to open gov is the rental licensing and property search.

So anybody can go to this page, type in their property address, and see if it is a licensed property, um, which is I think um really important for for our renters to have access to.

And uh it is very functional and easy to use.

Um this covers things like security deposits, rent control, notice of entry, rental agreements, late fees, pet smoking policies, and gives folks information um based on Maryland landlord and tenant law.

And if you need to stop me if I'm going too fast, please tell me to slow down or ask questions as we go.

Um reporting issues and code enforcement.

Uh historically we have used code enforcement form or uh I want to report links on our website.

We've tried to make those easier for folks to find uh rather than type in I want to and go to that.

We've just delivered the clickable link right there on the web page for folks if they want to report something through code enforcement.

Um it also describes the inspection process.

Um it follows uh a notice, an inspection, follow-ups, and types of inspection, and you can get more information just by clicking on the buttons and the tabs there.

Alan, when you're talking about this being on the website, so there's a main page.

Yep.

And then from that main page, you go to many different things.

But for almost all of them, it takes the search.

You need to search for almost everything.

Are you saying that?

So not anymore.

Historically, we have had to do a lot of search, but if you just click one of these six buttons, it takes you directly to the page.

And that will be on the main page of the city website.

That doesn't really make a lot of sense.

That'll live on the home page for you for people to access.

And I can I can show you after this meeting where that will live.

It's not currently there.

Okay.

Um housing counseling and legal resources.

Uh, this points folks to organizations that help uh support folks who are asking for for housing support.

Um just partners in the community that that help our residents and making sure they know where to go.

Uh it includes uh a number of different organizations IUDA Legal Maryland, um, Maryland Legal Aid, Frederick County Bar Association, Self-Help Law Center.

So uh it's a pretty comprehensive list of resources for our residents.

We also uh through housing and human services, do our own housing counseling and connect people to those resources as well.

Um Financial Assistance and tax credits, uh as you know, I I don't believe the majority of folks who are eligible for tax credits take it advantage of them.

This is an effort for us to amplify what's available to people and get them the opportunity to take advantage of it and also show them how uh they can access those tax credits and apply for them.

And then the last page is the lease and eviction information.

We tried to make this um as plain language as we can.

We try to make most of the the website as plain language as we can, but specifically when you're talking about lease and evictions and uh legal jargon, it can get tough for folks.