December Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes

Minutes of Headwaters Landlord Association Board of Directors Meeting

Date: December 13, 2012

Call to order: A Board of Directors meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association, was held in The Cabin Coffeehouse and Café, Bemidji, Minnesota in December 13, 2012. The meeting convened at 3:10 pm, President Duane Sea, presiding, and Jessica Sarauer, note taker.
Members in attendance: Andrew Erholtz, Terry Duy, Kathy Guess, Duane Sea, Lorrie Richardson, Harry Aylesworth
Members not in attendance: Jeff Janiksela, Jeff Grabowski
Secretary report: Approved via email.
Treasurer report: Harry provided a copy of the Treasurer’s report.  He passed around a copy of the invoice he will be sending out to previous members who have not yet renewed their dues. He is still waiting on the letter to include with the invoice.  Andrew will send the letter to Kathy and she will edit as soon as possible and send it to Harry so he can get the invoices out this weekend.  It was also suggested that Harry would add something in the memo line about paying before the end of the year to get a 2012 tax deduction.  Motion: Moved by Kathy to approve the treasurer report.  Seconded by Duane.   Motion carried.

New business:

Evergreen Conference

Harry and Duane went to the conference.  The main speaker was a tenant attorney from the Twin Cities.  Harry found it interesting and well worth going to the seminar.  The attorney brought up issues that were unknown to the attendants.  For example, they learned that you can’t have a carpet cleaning fee taken from the security deposit, but you can charge it as a separate fee.  Another issue they learned about was snow removal and lawn care.  If a landlord requires a tenant to do snow removal and lawn care they must compensate the tenant at fair market value and it is recommended that the landlord have a worker’s compensation policy if the tenant were injured while doing snow removal and lawn care activities.  Kathy then explained worker’s compensation policy and said that most insurance brokers can set you up with that.  They also learned about 60 day leases and requirements for notices and terms.  The attorney recommended a lease that he from the Minnesota Bar Association.  This lease lays out specific rules that are important (i.e. if the landlord pays utilities and collects money from tenant for the utilities, they have to show new tenants the last year’s utilities costs).  Duane thought the membership of the Headwater’s Landlord Association should be informed of the information learned at this conference and a lot of the topics will be covered at the next general meeting.  The attorney sold a book, How to be the Smartest Tenant on the Block, and Harry bought a copy and will let others borrow it.  Kathy and Duane will use the book as a reference for the information covered at the next general meeting.  Lorrie suggested having a link to this book on the webpage as well as possibly having copies available to purchase at the next general meeting.

Crime Free/Drug Free

Harry went to the Crime Free/Drug Free training offered by the city.  He thought the training was okay, but was not impressed with the answers given to questions asked.  The Fire Chief did give some good information about fire extinguishers.  Fire extinguishers need to be inspected every year and the inspection needs to be documented. The Chief gave tips on inspecting them yourself (this is for a single family home, Harry was not sure if self-inspection was applicable for multiplexes). 

Old business:

Next General Meeting Date

• The next meeting date was set for Thursday January 24, 2013 at Beltrami Electric at 7:00 pm.  If this date is unavailable, January 31, 2013 will be the backup date.

General Meeting Agenda Topics

• Leases and leasing will be the main topics of the next general meeting.  The book from the Evergreen Conference will be used to come up with a handout of what will be discussed.  Kathy and Duane will get the handout together.

• Other potential topics to bring up during the meeting were crp reminders (if not sent out there is a $100 penalty), certified mail information, reminder about crime free/drug free addendum, and reasonable charges.

• The format of the meeting will be a discussion with a mediator and panel of speakers.  Andrew will be the mediator. 

• The membership will also get a chance to write down what they would like to learn more about

• Terry brought up a scamming situation that he had heard about (people pretending to be landlords to get security deposits by having a key and giving tours, but not actually being a landlord).  Andrew knows how to recognize scams on Craigslist and will give a presentation about that as well as advertising rentals (Craigslist, BSU website, Northwoods LLC., etc.) at a general meeting.  Tenant marketing, screening, and applications will not be the focus of the next general meeting, but will be in the future.

• Harry went to the committee meeting with the landlord group and the city and learned that the city had a great deal of interest in coordinating with the HLA.  They would like to do some shorter seminars on different topics.  Laura Straw would like to do a meeting about Section 8 Housing because there is a lot of misunderstood information about Section 8.  The Board members thought this would be a good general meeting topic for the future.

• Agenda will be finalized at next Board of Directors Meeting.

Emails

• Kathy suggested including the Associate Member list to every email that is sent out.

Project Reports

• Andrew made up a certificate and membership card.  Everyone liked the design and the only request was that the picture in the background be made a shade or two darker.

• Terry got the letter to be included with the invoices to Andrew, but it did not get to Harry.  Kathy will be forwarded the letter and will get it to Harry this weekend.

• No report from the Preferred Vendor Committee.

• No report on the handbook/brochure.

Miscellaneous 

• Andrew mentioned that fire extinguishers needed tags to be on there and the seal cannot be broken.  Kathy wondered if the Fire Chief would write up something about this.  Harry mentioned that the Fire Chief was very proactive and would write letters to tenants about taking batteries out of smoke detectors and would probably write something up about fire extinguishers.

• Andrew was wondering if fellow board members were getting emails about people looking for places to rent.  Everyone said they were getting the emails.

• Andrew had someone call him about an issue he was having and Andrew wanted to know if anyone knew the solution.  The situation was from a person who was renting from someone else.  The landlord has a propane tank, but refuses to pay for it and the renter has all of his utilities included with the rent.  The renter was told to use electric space heaters and he is having trouble heating with only space heaters and was wondering if this is legal.  No one on the board knew for sure if this situation is okay.

New Rental Permit Registrations

• Harry brought up the fact that the city of Bemidji has had over 100 more new rental registrations and will continue to have more as the annexed area will have to be registered.  He thought if we network with the city we could potentially have the city hand out our (in the works) pamphlet/brochure about becoming a member.

Membership Drive

• Kathy suggested having a membership drive in March to include the new registrations.

Announcements:
Next BOD meeting: January 17, 2013, Cabin Coffeehouse and Café, 3:00 pm

Next general meeting: January 24, 2013, Beltrami Electric, 7:00 pm
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:39 pm.


Minutes submitted by Jessica Sarauer.

November Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Minutes of Headwaters Landlord Association Board of Directors Meeting

Date: November 15, 2012

Call to order: A Board of Directors meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association, was held in The Cabin Coffeehouse and Café, Bemidji, Minnesota on November 15, 2012. The meeting convened at 3:06 pm, Vice President Kathy Guess, presiding, and Jessica Sarauer, note taker.
Members in attendance: Jeff Grabowski, Andrew Erholtz, Terry Duy, Kathy Guess, Lorrie Richardson, Harry Aylesworth
Members not in attendance: Duane Sea, Jeff Janiksela
Secretary report: Motion: Moved by Andrew to approve the minutes from the last
meeting. Seconded by Harry. Motion carried.
Treasurer report: Harry provided a copy of the Treasurer’s report and reported that two new memberships were received today. Bills from the Bemidji Pioneer (for the banner ad) and for the meeting room rental have not been received yet.
Motion: Moved by Andrew to approve the payment of the pending bills to Bemidji Pioneer (as well as to approve the paying charge increase of $50), the meeting room rental, and to Jessica Sarauer. Seconded by Jeff G. Motion carried.
Old business:
Networking open rentals
• People who are looking for rentals can send Kathy an email and she will forward the
information to the secretary (Terry) who will send (email) the person’s information out to the current membership. Jeff G. recommended putting a disclaimer in the email stating that the Headwaters Landlord Association has not screened the person.
Political Forum review
• Board members who were present thought the political forum successful and that
everyone who participated was positive, but there was poor attendance from the
membership. It was an educational opportunity for both HLA members and for the City
Council candidates.
Membership Renewal Letters
• Harry will be sending out renewal notices to members who have not paid dues for this
year. Terry and Andrew will be working on a flier to go along with the letter explaining
why people should stay involved. They will send the flier to Harry and he will include it
with the bill memo. The letter should be in the mail on December 1, 2012.
New business:
Minnesota Energy Resources 4U2 Program
• Andrew was in contact with Jesse Robinson from Minnesota Energy Resources. They
are working with low income tenants (who are paying the utility bill and the energy
source is natural gas) to insulate houses. Minnesota Energy Resources will do up to
$5,000 worth of work. There is an application that needs to be filled out by the tenant
(it gives Minnesota Energy Resources permission to look at the house’s insulation).
Andrew passed out the information to the other Board members and also will email that same information to them.
Motion: Moved by Harry to send the Minnesota Energy Resources information out to the
HLA members. Seconded by Jeff G. Motion carried.
Membership cards
• Andrew suggested that the HLA send out a membership certificates to new members with their name and paid through date. Other members suggested that instead of a certificate, a card could work better. The card will be made of cardstock (supplied by Harry) and will be sent to the membership. The card will be helpful when identifying oneself as a HLA member to Associate members. Andrew will draft a membership card and send it out to the other Board members for approval. He can also draft a certificate to discuss at the next meeting if he chooses.
Motion: Moved by Andrew to approve HLA issuing membership cards to paid members
with design to be chosen by committee. Seconded by Terry. Motion carried.
Handbook
• Lorrie thought a handbook would add value to membership. The handbook could be a
one page brochure that would include information about the HLA (taken from bylaws)
in an easy to access format. Kathy suggested using the graphic from the website on the
handbook (the “for rent sign”). Lorrie will design the handbook.
Vendor Program
• Kathy suggested giving current vendors (associate members) memberships through
July 2014 at no cost because the Board will need another six months to figure out the
exact details of the vendor program. Having lifetime vendor membership was tabled.
Current vendors are listed on the website homepage with a contact phone number. Kathy suggested the application include a part for the vendor to describe their services, provide a website link, and email address.
Motion: Moved by Harry to approve extending current vendor members and others
who get a membership within the next six months until June 30, 2014. Seconded by Andrew. Motion carried.
Andrew suggested putting something in print of what the HLA associate membership
offers to vendors. Kathy suggested forming a committee that reports to the Board
monthly.
Motion: Moved by Terry to form a vendor committee of Andrew, Terry, and Lorrie.
Seconded by Harry. Motion carried.
The vendor committee will design a brochure to give to potential vendors. The
brochure will include benefits for vendors including website exposure, showcase at
general meeting, email list, mailing list, members will have form of identification, and
membership through June 30, 2014. Lorrie knows someone who can help with brochures (we could offer her half price membership). The vendor committee will also review
the vendor application. An internship was also suggested as a way to get advanced web
design accomplished (such as using a vendor’s business card as the link to their website).
It was requested that the vendor committee notify the other Board members of their
meeting date, time, and location so they can stop by if they wish.
Upcoming workshops
• Harry is going to the Evergreen Housing presentation tomorrow.
• The city of Bemidji is hosting another Crime Free/Drug Free class on December 3 rd.
Announcements:
Next BOD meeting: December 13, 2012
For next meeting: Think of a good way to format the January general meeting and of what topics
to cover (i.e. rental agreements, security deposits, etc.)
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:27 pm.

Minutes submitted by Jessica Sarauer.

October General Meeting Minutes

Minutes of Headwaters Landlord Association General Meeting

Date: October 25, 2012

Call to order: A general meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association was held in Beltrami Electric Cooperative conference room, Bemidji, Minnesota on October 25, 2012. The meeting convened at 7:09 pm, President Duane Sea, presiding, and Jessica Sarauer, note taker.
Officers in attendance: Duane Sea, Andrew Erholtz, Kathy Guess
Officers not in attendance: Jeff Janiksela, Jeff Grabowski, Terry Duy, Lorrie Richardson, Harry Aylesworth
Political Forum – Mayoral and City Council Candidates
Duane Sea and Andrew Erholtz moderated the forum.  Candidates in attendance were Michael Meehlhause (Ward 1), Derrick Houle (Ward 1), Nancy Erickson (Ward 5), and Rita Albrecht (Mayor).  The following is the script (with questions) of the forum.

The Headwaters Landlord Association believes that some members of the current City government strongly oppose additional single family rental housing in the City of Bemidji.  A moratorium was proposed that would have halted any single family house from being converted into a rental as the City of Bemidji studied the issues.  It was anticipated that this moratorium would last one year or longer.  In response to strong public opposition, the moratorium was not passed.  Shortly thereafter, it was decided that there were many problems with rentals in Bemidji that could not be adequately addressed with the existing rental ordinance.  A new ordinance was proposed that included a $1,000 conversion fee when a single family house was converted to a rental home.  Public hearings began and the City again found strong public opposition.  The final ordinance, as passed, included a first time rental permit fee of $500 that includes the first year’s license of $100 for a single family unit.
                The HLA believes that this extra $400 fee is punitive fee to discourage single family rentals.  This punitive fee negatively affects homeowners as well as investors.    At a time, when we are in what has been called an unprecedented crisis of foreclosures, the City of Bemidji should seek to prevent foreclosures.  Homeowners who must move can seldom afford to support two homes.  In today’s market, the house may not sell at the price or in the time the homeowner needs.  That homeowner may decide to rent the house rather than go into foreclosure.  The extra $400 conversion fee can be a barrier for an already financially stressed owner.
                If a foreclosure occurs, the City should seek to have the property sold and occupied as quickly as possible.  Some foreclosures will be sold to owners who will live there.  Many foreclosures, however, need work and are not in financeable condition.  They require a cash buyer who has the resources to buy and invest in the property to bring it up to the standards the City requires for rental properties.  If investors are discouraged by the attitude of the City toward single family rentals and the punitive fee, the alternative may be that the property is left vacant for an extended time and continues to deteriorate.

Question 1: As an elected member of City government, would you support changing the $500 first time rental permit fee and what would you support as a replacement?

The rental ordinance was proposed and passed in 2011 to give the City tools to correct issues with rentals.  Many landlords felt if the existing ordinance had been uniformly enforced, the ordinance would have required only minor changes.   Many issues were discussed by City staff and elected officials (not read to the candidates).

Question 2 to our incumbents: As a member of City Government in 2011 what rental housing issues did you believe needed to be addressed when the rental housing ordinance was drafted; and, 1 year after adoption, is the ordinance working and do you feel it is being enforced?  If not, what would you propose as a solution when the ordinance is scheduled to be reviewed in a year?   

Question 2 to candidates: what rental issues do you feel exist and what solutions would you propose?
Some of our members have owned rentals in the City of Bemidji for decades.  We do not feel the City welcomes or supports our investment in single family rentals.  Many people become tenants because either they cannot or do not want to buy a house.  Often, they would prefer to rent a single family house in which to raise their family rather than an apartment building.  They are not automatically second class citizens of Bemidji.  If a rental house sits next to an owner occupied house with the same assessed value, please recognize that we pay more taxes.   We also pay 1.5 times more for the storm water fee each month than our neighbors. Why?  According the City building department, there are approximately 2700 rental units in Bemidji.  Of that 2700, 673 or 25% are single family homes.  Yet this 25% pays 67% of the rental permit fees collected.    The annual cost of a rental permit doubled with the new ordinance for single family rentals.  The rental permit used to be $150 for three years, or $50 per year for one unit.    A single family house now pays $100 per year.  Currently, a 10-unit building pays only $15 per unit per year.   Rental permit fees in Bemidji are so disproportional that we are discouraged.   

This month, a board member was personally told by a City Council person that the landlords say they are offering a service, but really they just want to buy as cheap as possible, put as little as possible into the property as they can, get as much money out of the property as they can, and do not care who they rent to or what the tenant does after they are in the property.  As with any group, there are a few bad landlords and a few bad tenants.  However, to express that attitude toward ALL rental property owners was very biased.  Most of us do our best to take care of our rentals and our tenants and maintain a good relationship with City employees and the City Council.


Question 3:  Some of us plan to buy other single family homes as rentals.  If the City does not welcome or support our investment in single family rentals, should we buy in the City of Bemidji or would you prefer we invested in a surrounding town or a township instead, and why?

Question 4 (submitted by John Peterson): How do you feel about more than 4 non-related tenants in a home, for larger homes with adequate bedrooms and parking?  Mike Miller tried presenting to the city council and was shot down.  I have a 5 bedroom home with parking for 8, and tenants are paying more in utilities, and is not the greatest use of the property.  Not trying to cram more, just using the property as efficiently as possible.
The candidates then visited with members from 8:20 to 8:35.
Business Meeting
Landlord & Property Manager Training: Becky Schuller, who works with Evergreen Youth and Family Services, handed out a flier and invited everyone to a Landlord & Property Manager Training on November 16, 2012 at First Lutheran Church.  The training is designed to be informational and to provide resources.  The early bird cost was $10 before October 15, 2012, but $50 after.  (If the $50 fee was a burden, Becky said to call her and work something out).
Crime Free/Drug Free Multi-Housing: The Bemidji Police Department will host a Crime Free/Drug Free Multi-Housing course Monday December 3, 2012 from 8am to 5pm.  The fee is $40.  Duane went earlier this year and found it to be worthwhile and informational.  The course goes over spotting drug use and drug addicts, how to handle drug use, crime proofing housing, ordinances, how to research applications and do your own background checks, and more.
Leases: All new leases need a crime free/drug free addendum and all existing leases need to have the addendum by the end of the year.  Andrew will email this information to all current members and this issue as well and others will be discussed at the next General Meeting.
Secretary report: Andrew read the minutes from the last general meeting.
Motion: Moved by John Peterson to approve the minutes.  Seconded by Paul Hofland.   Motion carried.
Lawsuit Update: The lawsuit was neither won nor lost (but we did lose the money paid in fees).  It was referred to District Court.  It may cost $10,000-$15,000, if represented by an attorney, to go to District Court.  The Board of Directors did think about having the HLA pay the fees to have Darrell Carter go to District Court (and represent himself), but he was not interested.  The letter was put in the Bemidji Pioneer to show that we didn’t lose the case, as the article in the paper implied.
Security Deposits: Duane asked how people paid security deposits and damage deposits.  The rule is that you have 21 days to pay back the deposit, otherwise you owe the tenant double.  Duane learned this from personal experience and shared that experience.  This issue will be discussed further at the next General Meeting.
Announcements
    The next Board of Directors meeting will be 3:00 pm on Thursday November 15, 2012.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:56.

Minutes submitted by Jessica Sarauer

September Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Minutes of Headwaters Landlord Association Board of Directors Meeting

Date: September 27, 2012

Call to order: A Board of Directors meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association, was held in The Cabin Coffeehouse and Café, Bemidji, Minnesota on September 27, 2012. The meeting convened at 3:06 pm, President Duane Sea, presiding, and Jessica Sarauer, note taker.

Members in attendance: Duane Sea, Jeff Grabowski, Andrew Erholtz, Terry Duy, Kathy Guess, Harry Aylesworth

Members not in attendance: Jeff Janiksela, Lorrie Richardson

Minutes last meeting: Minutes were emailed to Board members, but were not posted on website. Motion: Moved by Kathy to approve minutes by email. Seconded by Jeff G. Motion carried.

Treasurer report: Harry gave the treasurer report with today’s balance of $1675.11.  He reviewed withdrawals to Duane Sea ($100), Bemidji Pioneer ($200), and Red Zest Design ($450.38, which was $68.38 over budget) and a deposit from Mark Dickinson for $50. 

Motion: Moved by Kathy to approve the report and to reimburse Lorrie Richardson for $100 for prepaying Red Zest Design.  Seconded by Terry. Motion carried.

Old Business/Lawsuit

·         The lawsuit was unsuccessful.  The Association should have a formal response to the decision.  Duane handed out a potential response for a letter to the editor.  Options suggested were a letter to the editor, press release, display advertisement, or sitting down with a reporter for an article.  It was decided to write a letter to the editor. Kathy will put together a response using Duane’s letter and a response from Jeff G.  She will send it out to the other Board Members for review before sending to the Pioneer.

·         To file in District Court (for appealing), it would cost $350.  The Board discussed potentially helping members carry on, but could only help with possible court fees and not the $5,000-$10,000 legal fees.

Agenda Oct. 25th Meeting

·         City Council candidates and mayor candidates will be coming to the General Board Meeting.  Duane wants to have a format of the meeting and questions to help the candidates prepare.  Duane will invite all candidates to the meeting and email the Board members of who will be attending.

·         Each candidate will be given three minutes to explain their overall view of housing in Bemidji and how rental properties fit in.

·         There will be three moderators asking questions during the meeting. Duane, Kathy, and Andrew will be the three moderators and will meet next week to go over questions.

·         Questions will be limited to housing related issues and will need to be submitted before the meeting starts. Questions from members can be mailed, emailed, or phoned to Terry.  Terry will call membership to notify them about submitting questions and will email all members of the meeting.

·         A banner ad will be ran the day before the meeting in the Bemidji Pioneer “Candidate Forum on Bemidji Housing”

·         Harry suggested inviting Upstream TV to come to the general meeting and air the candidate questioning. Terry will contact William from Upstream to see if they are interested.

·         A Board of Directors Meeting will be held a half an hour before the general meeting.

New Business

·         Joint Group Planning Committee

Harry mentioned that the HLA might want to get involved in the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board to have a voice with things happening to rental properties.

·         Treasurer Purchase

Motion: Moved by Jeff G. to have Harry buy a roll of stamps.  Seconded by Terry. Motion carried.

·         Dues Reminder

Kathy suggested having Harry send out an invoice to all previous members letting them know dues are owed.  Harry will mail out invoices along with a flyer for the general meeting.

Announcements:

General Meeting

Thursday October 25, 2012, 7 pm, Beltrami Electric Coop meeting room

Board of Directors arrive early at 6:30 pm

Paypal has been activated on website to pay dues

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:22 pm.

Minutes submitted by Jessica Sarauer.

July General Meeting Minutes

Headwaters Landlord Association General Meeting Minutes

July 19, 2012 

Opening: A general meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association was called to order at 7:04 p.m. on July 19, 2012 at Beltrami Electric, Bemidji, MN by President Duane Sea. 
 
Board Members Present: Duane Sea, Terry Duy, Kathy Guess, Lorrie Richardson, Harry Aylesworth, Jeff Grabowski, Andrew Erholtz 

Board Members not present: Ben Hein, Jeff Janiksela

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.  Motion carried.

Treasurer report: Kathy provided a copy of the Treasurer’s report and reported a previous balance of $945.59 and a current balance of $1740.49.  She reviewed all deposits, withdrawals, and bills to be paid.  
 
Motion: Moved by Terry to approve Treasurer’s report.  Seconded by Jeff G.   Motion carried.

Open Issues

• Election of Officers: Nominees are as follows: Duane for President, Kathy for Vice President, Harry for Treasurer, and Terry for Secretary. Two year members will include Jeff G., Andrew, and Lorrie.  One year members will include Jeff J. Lorrie suggested the possibility of having members at large sit in during board meetings.  Nellie Withoff moved to approve the nominees for ballot. Seconded by Myrneth Halverson. Motion carried.  

• Update on city lawsuit and options: Duane updated everyone on the details behind the lawsuit and stressed that if one’s name is on the lawsuit, they must show up to the court date or they automatically lose.  Court date is set for September 10, 2012 at 9 am.  The location will be held at District Court Judge John G. Melbye, Beltrami County District Court, Court Room 2 North, 600 Minnesota Ave. NW, Suite 108. 

New Business

• Intro to new website: Lorrie and Andrew introduced the new website at www.headwaterslandlord.org.  The website was published the morning of July 19, 2012.  Among the areas included in the website is a password protected area designed for paid members of the Headwaters Landlord Association.  Headwaters Landlord Association does not endorse venders but does allow venders to become members to advertise and build their businesses.  Members are encouraged to send the Board ideas on what to include in the Members Only section on the website.            

• New parking regulations:  Kathy, Lorrie, and Duane met with John Chattin regarding the new parking regulations near the BSU campus.  They were informed that permits would be competitive with the campus parking permits, around $150.  Since then, a parking committee was formed to discuss details.  Judy Davis and Jeff G. served on the parking committee.  During their first meeting, the parking regulation had already been determined.  The following points summarize that meeting:

• The permit area would run from Birchmont to Bemidji and from 10th to 17th

• Permits would be issued for the one year period from August 1 to July 31
  

• The permit fee would be $30 per year with no prorated fees
  

• A maximum of 112 permits would be issued
  

• Only residents of the permit area, homeowners, or renters may purchase permits

• Permits would be issued on a first come, first served basis.  Only one permit per residence would be issued with the opportunity of purchasing a second permit after August 31 if there are any available

• Signage would be installed in the permit neighborhood indicating permit parking only, Monday through Friday from 7 am until 5 pm
  

• Permits would be designed similar to the ones currently used in the city parking lots
  

• Applicants would need to provide, at a minimum, their name, address, and vehicle year, make, model, and license plate number
  

• Rental units that have been grandfathered, because of inadequate off street parking, will have priority in purchasing an adequate number of permits to allow parking for their residents
  

• Visitor permits would be available, free of charge, if needed.  These permits would expire as reflected on the permit when issued 

• Duane moved that the HLA oppose the proposed parking regulations.  Motion seconded by Elroy Erickson.  Motion carried.        
  

• Annexation implications:  Duane discussed implications of property being annexed to the city along Birchmont Drive.  If a rental property is annexed, a letter is supposed to be sent to owners notifying them that they have 60 days to register or else pay a $500 registration fee.  Bemidji Township has a registration process; Northern Township does not.  Annexation is planned to go to Lakewood Drive.       

• Appeals board:  Duane, Lorrie, and Kathy proposed a Tenant/Landlord’s Appeals committee to John Chattin to deal with rental ordinances.  This appeals board would be more specialized than the Zoning Committee within the city.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:28 p.m. by Duane Sea.  The next general meeting date will be determined at the next Board of Directors meeting.

Minutes submitted by Katelyn Larsen

June Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Headwaters Landlord Association Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

June 14, 2012

Opening: The regular meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association Board of Directors was called to order at 6:04 p.m. on June 14, 2012 in The Cabin Coffeehouse and Café, Bemidji, MN by President Duane Sea.

Present: Duane Sea, Terry Duy, Kathy Guess, Lorrie Richardson, Harry Aylesworth, Jeff Grabowski

Not present: Ben Hein, Jeff Janiksela, Andrew Erholtz

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.  Motion carried. 

Treasurer report: Kathy provided a copy of the Treasurer’s report and reported a previous balance of $1093.49 and a current balance of $945.59.  She reviewed all deposits and withdrawals.   Motion: Moved by Terry to approve Treasurer’s report.  Seconded by Harry.   Motion carried.

A. Open Issues

• Slate of Candidates for office: Andrew declined nomination as President or Vice President but is willing to serve on the Board for next year. Andrew would be willing to serve as Vice President if the Board met quarterly rather than monthly, but the Board determined that it is in the Board’s best interest to continue to meet monthly. Slate of Candidates is as follows: Duane for President, Kathy for Vice President, Harry for Treasurer, and Terry for Secretary. Two year members will include Jeff G., Andrew, and Lorrie. One year members will include Jeff J.  Lorrie will be contacting others about the second open directors’ position.

• Meeting with Lorie Richardson: Regarding Dave Lalone’s situation, the Board determined that the matter should be decided by the city.  In similar cases regarding legal questions from members of the Headwaters Landlord Association, formal complaints should be sent to the Board in the form of a letter.   

• Sec. 10-60. - Right of appeal. (from City of Bemidji Ord. No. 69, 3rd series, § 1, 10-3-2011)  

• (a) Any person aggrieved by a decision of the building official, by a compliance order, or a decision to deny, suspend, revoke or not renew a permit, may appeal to the housing appeals board by filing a written notice of appeal with the building inspectors office within ten business days after receipt of such order or notice. The appeal shall contain a statement setting forth the grounds for the appeal and be accompanied by the applicable fee. The timely filing of a written appeal shall stay all proceedings until the appeals process is completed, unless such stay would cause imminent peril to life, health or property. 
  

• (b) The housing appeals board shall meet as needed, or at the call of the chair, to hear appeals. A hearing shall be held within 30 days after filing of an appeal. The city clerk shall provide the appellant five business days written notice of the time and place of the hearing. If necessary to do so, the board may postpone a hearing to a later date, not to exceed 60 days after the filing of an appeal. 
  

• (c) The board shall hear all relevant evidence and argument. The board may admit evidence which possesses probative value commonly accepted by reasonably prudent persons in the conduct of their affairs. The housing appeals board will give due regard to the frequency and seriousness of violations, the ease with which such violations could have been cured or avoided and good faith efforts to comply and will issue a decision to deny, not renew, suspend or revoke a permit only upon written findings. The board shall tape record the hearing and keep a record of documentary evidence submitted. 
  

• (d) The board shall issue its decision in writing 15 days after the close of the hearing. The decision shall either deny or uphold the decision of the building official or may grant a registration permit upon such terms and conditions as the board deems necessary to accomplish the purposes of this article. A copy of the decision shall be mailed to the appellant. Notice of the final decision also shall be mailed to each occupant. 
  

• (e) The decision of the board may be appealed by filing an appeal or appropriate writ with the Beltrami County District Court within 15 days after the issuance of the board's written decision. 
  

• Mediation Board: The Board feels that there should be a mediation board within the City.  
  

• Pioneer Newspaper Article: Regarding the article in the Pioneer Newspaper from June 12 entitled Recall advances, the Board decided to ignore the comments made against the Headwaters Landlord Association.  
  

• Parking Permits: Duane has been attempting to contact John Chattin regarding parking permits in the University area but has not been successful.  He had been in contact with Al Felix who suggested contacting John Chattin regarding the issue.  As of today’s meeting, there is nothing new to report.  Duane will make another attempt to contact John Chattin.  If unsuccessful, he will fill out a formal appointment request. 
  

• Agenda for general meeting July 19: Harry suggested having a guest speaker come talk to the members.  Kathy suggested having timely issues discussed at the general meeting, such as the parking permit issue along with selecting candidates for next year’s Board of Directors.  Topics for the general meeting will include parking permits, the mediation board, and discussing the crime free/drug free addendum to leases.    

B. New Business

• Website committee: Lorrie met with Samantha Nienow from Red Zest Design regarding updating Headwaters Landlord Association’s website.  Signing on with Red Zest Design would save money for the organization as well as professionalize the website’s appearance. Harry made a motion to sign on with Red Zest Design. Duane seconded. Motion carried.

• Associate membership: The Board decided that there will be a list of associate members posted on the new website under the name of “Landlord Services.” Kathy will be following up with people interested in becoming associate members. 
  

• Small claims legal actions on the rental permit reimbursement: Duane spoke with Darrell Carter and determined that all claims will be filed June 15, 2012.  

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. by Duane Sea. The next general meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on July 19, 2012 at Beltrami Electric. 

Minutes submitted by: Katelyn Larsen

May Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Headwaters Landlord Association Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

May 24, 2012

Opening: The regular meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association Board of Directors was called to order at 6:07 p.m. on May 24, 2012 in The Cabin Coffeehouse and Café, Bemidji, MN by President Duane Sea.

Present: Duane Sea, Terry Duy, Kathy Guess, Lorrie Richardson, Harry Aylesworth

Not present: Ben Hein, Jeff Janiksela (excused), Jeff Grabowski (excused), Andrew Erholtz

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.

Treasurer report: Kathy provided a copy of the Treasurer’s report and reported a previous balance of $1115.39 and a current balance of $1093.49.  She reviewed all deposits and withdrawals. 

Motion: Moved by Kathy to transfer payment of secretarial fee from Jessica Sarauer to Katelyn Larsen. Seconded by Lorrie. Motion carried.

A. Open Issues

• Terry discussed the small claims legal actions on the rental permit reimbursement.  It was decided to turn in the lawsuit to Darrell Carter on June 1, 2012.

• Benefits to having an associate membership with Headwaters Landlord Association were discussed. Kathy will develop a renewal form for current members, which will be sent out July 1, 2012 via Andrew.
  
  Board members will be talking with community businesses about the benefits of becoming an associate member. 
  
  

• Functionality of the current website was discussed.  Lorrie will be talking to web site designers to see if web presence can be improved and to see how costly it would be.  Red Zest Design was suggested as a possible business to go through. It would be advantageous to set up something similar to a Weebly site to make it easier to update for people without web building skills. 

• A slate of nominees for officer positions was established.  Most of the board will stay on for next year. The recommended slate is as follows: Andrew as president, Kathy as vice president, Terry as secretary, and Harry as treasurer. Alternatively, Kathy volunteered to serve as president and have Andrew as vice president if Andrew is unable to do the president position.  Paid members will be able to vote at the general meeting on July 28, 2012. Anyone interested in running for board positions should contact current board members.    

B. New Business

• Parking permits
  Duane discussed a letter from Al Felix, city attorney of Bemidji. There is a program underway to issue parking permits to people that own properties along Birchmont Dr. this summer as well as other streets that have not been named yet. The parking program is within the city’s power and has the right to regulate on-street parking. The Board will be finding out more information on the parking permits issue before the next board meeting.
  
  

• Website
  Headwaters Landlord Association is currently paying $21.90 a month for the website service. This fee would be increased to $29.95 a month if HLA renews with the company. It is recommended to determine what the status is on the website as well as figure out if the current website is the best deal for HLA’s needs. Lorrie will be inquiring and taking action soon.

C. Agenda for Next Meeting

• Parking permits

• Website

• Finalize agenda for general membership meeting scheduled on July 28, 2012 at Beltrami Electric

Adjournment

Meeting was adjourned at 7:27 p.m. by Duane Sea. The next board of directors meeting will be at 6:00 p.m. on June 14, 2012 in The Cabin Coffeehouse and Cafe. The next general meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. on July 28, 2012 at Beltrami Electric. 

Minutes submitted by: Katelyn Larsen

April General Meeting Minutes

Minutes of Headwaters Landlord Association General Meeting

Date: April 16, 2012

Call to order: A general meeting of the Headwaters Landlord Association was held in Beltrami Electric Cooperative conference room, Bemidji, Minnesota on April 16, 2012. The meeting convened at 7:01 pm, President Duane Sea, presiding, and Jessica Sarauer, note taker.

Board of Directors in attendance: Duane Sea, Jeff Grabowski, Terry Duy, Harry Aylesworth Lorrie Richardson,

Board of Directors not in attendance: Ben Hein, Kathy Guess (excused), Jeff Janiksela (excused0, Andrew Erholtz (excused)

Guest speaker:  Jerry Linke, City of Bemidji rental property inspector gave a presentation on inspection expectations.  Inspections are based on the property maintenance code (provided handout) and he talked about what they look for and why.  He mentioned the Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibility.  If you don’t have this document, it is available online for free or can be shipped to you for free. He also has some copies in his office.  Lorrie will go to his office and pick some up for members who do not have a copy.  Jerry stressed that inspectors do not have any control over leases; those are between the landlord and tenant (he gets complaints from tenants often).  He went on to say that according to Minnesota Statute, a landlord has to give adequate notice to go into a home (24 hours), unless it’s an emergency.  If no one is there and you go into their house you must leave a note saying that you were there and what you did.  If you do not do this, the tenant could get all of their rent back.

Inspectors would like a two week advance notice for inspections and if the scheduled times do not work for the landlord, just call the inspector and reschedule.

He then talked about a form he created for inspections and handed the form out to everyone.  He talked about the main points that he looked at: ground fault interrupters (passed around a handout to look at), chimney liners if unit has gas water heater or gas furnace venting into chimney (passed around a handout to look at), gas valves – particularly finding and replacing grease valves (passed around a grease valve), water shutoffs, reduced pressure devices on furnaces (passed around a handout to look at), outside faucets (passed around a handout to look at), dryer venting pipes, windows on first floor need locking windows, house numbers must be easily seen on exterior of house (contrasting colors), and decks and rails must be secure.  If Jerry finds something that needs to be fixed and you are unable to get to it in the allotted time frame, call him or the other inspector and let them know.

Jerry explained that the number of occupants in the house is defined by the number of bedrooms.  A bedroom is defined as 70 square feet per first person and every person after needs 50 square feet and you can only have 4 unrelated people in a house (even if 5 bedrooms).  Parking is a zoning issue and you need 1 spot per bedroom plus 1 more.

He handed out a few more handouts: 3 strike rule (he explained the process and emphasized that he isn’t in charge of this), recreational fire regulations, crime free addendum (needs to be on all leases next year), business cards for himself and the other inspector Joe Swenson, and a list of websites to use for background checks.

Rental permits are good for 2 years and the statement that says that you have been inspected is required on the bottom of the permit. 

Jerry Linke, Mike Miller, and Joe Swenson are all certified inspectors and construction inspectors. 

Lastly, he talked about how some things are grandfathered in to the laws (i.e. ceiling heights and duplexes in non-residential zones that are already in place) and that inspectors have the authority to override anything that isn’t affecting health and safety.

Speaker Aimee Imoff: Aimee is the co-owner and founder of Northwoods Rentals. She is an associate member of the HLA. Her company is a web-based resource that renters with available property. The website is forrentbemidji.com. She started the company in February 2012 and has had 1 contact a day about rentals and advertises with the Buy Line, NWTC, Facebook, and visit Bemidji. To list a property, go to the website, click listing tab, fill out form (add pictures and any information that you would like), submit it, and within 24 hours it will be up on the site. The cost is 10 dollars a week. She asked everyone to check out the site and if anyone has feedback, let her now.

Darrell Carter Update: Darrell Carter reported that about 10 people have filed claims against the city. He also talked about developing the format and the fact that the 75 dollar filing fee would be paid back if you prevail in the claim. It was also cleared up that the effective date to use would be January 1, 2012. If you are having problems with the form, leave your name with the BOD and they will assist you. A deadline of April 30, 2012 was set as the day to have claims in. Also remember that the proper P.O. Box to send the paperwork to is P.O. Box 306.

Treasurer report: Duane gave the Treasurer report. The opening balance was $1115.39.   A bill was paid to the webpage provider or $21.90 and a deposit was made for a dues payment from Elroy Erickson in the amount of $50.00. 

Unfinished Business

• Proposed Budget for 2012-13
  Duane reported the budget for 2012-13 to be $2420 and most of the money would go to secretarial fees and meeting rooms.
  
  

• Status of bylaws
  Bylaws were approved by the BOD.  They will be put on the website.
  
  

• Status of Incorporation
  The HLA is fully incorporated as a 501(c)3 with the state of Minnesota.
  
  

• Campus community breakfast
  Jeff G. reported on this event.  This was a breakfast with students and landlords and he said some key issues brought up were on street parking issue – prices, amounts, and deposits.
  
  

• Crime free multi-housing program
  Jeff G. reported on the training and handed out an outline of important things for application process (added get date of birth to Application Process).  He gave advice for looking up tenants – observe way tenant looks at rental, never show on a Friday and let them move in right away.  He also mentioned that you have to keep applications on file for 2 years and you can ask for SSN when doing credit checks (the police told them to get DOB and SSN ((or passport number)).  A lawyer who sues landlords also presented at the program.  They will be having two more trainings and the cost is 40 dollars (you can sign up for mailing).
  
  

New Business

• Nominations
  Duane read the new bylaws in respect to elections of officers. It was decided to poll the membership to see if there was interest.  Terry will collect names of people interested. Terry also mentioned that he would stay on the BOD for next year and the BOD talked about the importance of keeping the HLA active.
  
  

• Professional squatters
  This topic was brought up because Jerry’s friend had a squatter move into one of his rentals and changed the locks. It took several weeks and several hundred dollars to get him out. Duane mentioned that professional squatters are moving from city to city and taking advantage of abandoned houses.

Announcements

The next general meeting will be in June.

Adjournment

Terry Duy moved and Lorrie Richardson seconded to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:27.

Minutes submitted by Jessica Sarauer