Longmont City Council Votes To Support Two 2019 Legislative Bills

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The City Council of Longmont voted to support two 2019 legislative bills that were recommended for position at their Tuesday night study session. They will continue discussion of a third bill at next weeks meeting.

Bill HB19-1309 - Mobile Home Park Act Oversight

The first of these three was bill HB19-1309 regarding Mobile Home Park Act Oversight. This bill is meant protect mobile home owners in few different ways. For one, it increases the amount of time between when notice of nonpayment of rent is issued and when the termination of tenancy at will or lease in a mobile home park. It also gives counties the power to create certain ordinances for mobile home parks and it extends the amount of time given to a mobile home owner to vacate a park if they are served an eviction notice.

This bill also establishes a new program called the Mobile Home Park Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program.

As per the council communication, “The program authorizes the division of housing of the department of local affairs to: register mobile home parks; collect a registration fee from mobile home parks; collect and annually report on data related to disputes and violations of the ‘Mobile Home Park Act’; produe and distribute educational materials concerning the act and the program; create and maintain a database of mobile home parks; take complaints, conduct investigations, make determinations, impose penalties, and participate in administrative dispute resolutions when there are alleged violations of the act.”

Council unanimously supported this bill.

Bill SB19-221 - Appropriation General Fund Implement State Water Plan

The second bill recommended for council position was bill SB19-221 pertaining to the appropriation general fund implement state water plan. According to the council communication, this bill allots funding “from the Colorado water conservation board (CWCB) construction fund to the CWCB or the division of water resources in the department of natural resources.” The continuation of the state’s satellite monitoring system, as well as programs that support Longmont’s water and conservation goals, would also be funded by this bill.

This bill was also unanimously supported by Longmont City Council.

Bill SB19-225 - Authorize Local Governments To Stabilize Rent

The third legislative bill that council discussed was bill SB19-225 which deals with the authorization of local governments to stabilize rent. This bill would get rid of the existing language that prohibits local governments from passing ordinances or resolutions that control the rent on either private residential properties, or private residential housing units.

“This bill basically undoes the Telluride Decision, which limited rent control options to municipalities and other local government jurisdictions. What that means is that your inclusionary housing ordinance, and all the things that go along with it, don’t really affect anything with rent,” said Assistant City Manager Sandi Seader. “This would allow the city to be able to put into place different stabilization efforts, which is essentially rent control.”

Council did not vote to extend their meeting past 11 p.m. as they were finishing their conversation on this bill, so they will vote to support it or not at next week's meeting.