By Sarah Stultz staff writer

The new rental housing task force within the city of Albert Lea will meet for the first time Tuesday evening.

City Manager Victoria Simonsen said the goal for this first meeting is for the group to get a feel for what is being asked in the proposed rental housing ordinance and then to begin to discuss the ordinance and give suggestions for improvement.

The task force was formed after the last Albert Lea City Council meeting, when more than a dozen landlords spoke out in opposition against the proposed rental housing ordinance.

The ordinance up for vote would have established a method of registering landlords and enforcing the already-in-place minimum housing standards to the living conditions of people who rent apartments and houses.

All property owners who choose to rent a dwelling would have been required to obtain a license before doing so and have an inspection of the premises prior to renting. Then, subsequent inspections would be conducted every few years, depending on the results of the previous inspection.

The council tabled the ordinance to allow time to rework it with a task force of landlords, tenants and city staff.

The task force is comprised of City Councilors Minnow Brooks and Larry Baker; Jon Ford, executive director of the Albert Lea Housing and Redevelopment Authority; other members of city staff, two tenants; two Realtors; one or two representatives from the newly-formed landlord association; a representative from Senior Tower and Senior Court; Albert Lean Linda Bottelson, a landlord and mediator by trade; a representative from Trailside Apartments; and Terry Fox, local landlord and Realtor.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. in Room 109 of City Hall.