The majority of Perry’s City Council meeting on Monday focused on proposed changes to the City’s rental code.

A few local landlords expressed concern during open forum, but City Administrator Butch Niebuhr says the proposed changes are not that drastic.

“The rental code is there, there’s just no inspection or nobody to say ‘Okay, you don’t have this done.’ Or giving us permission to go on that property and actually look at the rental property to say ‘You’re not within code.’”

So the changes would increase enforcement and help make sure standards are met.

“I would guess that probably ninety-five percent of the people that rent probably haven’t even seen the rental ordinance, or haven’t looked at it.  This makes it a little more different.  It makes it so that the building official or somebody from the City will come out when you have a rental property and inspect it to make sure that it sits up to our codes.”

Annual inspections would cost landlords $25.  No formal action has been taken yet, though the Council is expected to go through the ordinance process, including approval of three readings, at future meetings.