DECATUR - The Decatur City Council is scheduled to discuss recent difficulties with city rental properties and other persistent neighborhood problems today.

The council will hold study sessions after its regular meeting, one of which will focus on neighborhoods, according to an internal memo from interim city manager John A. Smith and other city staff to the city council.

Councilman Mike McElroy said problem landlords are relatively few but should be made to take responsibility.

"We're talking about just a few people that really abuse the system here," McElroy said. "My thought coming out of all of this is that we need to make them understand that we're not going to tolerate this anymore."

McElroy said hitting problem landlords in the pocketbook is one solution within the city council's power. Councilman Dan Caulkins said in a July council meeting he would like to explore the possibility of creating a strict licensing procedure for rental properties.

Currently, the city can charge up to $500 per property violation. Violations can be anything from failure to collect trash to persistent noise complaints or structural safety concerns.

"I certainly am going to be willing to try to come up with something to make it difficult for those who want to circumvent the system," McElroy said.

Holly Mowry, owner of Mowry Properties, runs several rental properties in Decatur and prides herself on their upkeep.

"I can live in any house I walk out of," Mowry said. "When I walk out of one of my houses, you can eat off the floor."

Mowry said a stricter enforcement of ordinances already in place would be better than increasing penalties.

The city fields thousands of violations a month with six staff members working in Neighborhood Standards, the department responsible for following up on property violations.

"Councilman Caulkins had said something about licensing landlords, and I don't see where that's going to do any good," Mowry said. "The city really doesn't have the manpower or the money to pay for people to do these things."

Also scheduled are study sessions that will include an update on criteria for a new police department facility, an update on the Looking for Lincoln Project and possible development of programs for homebuyers, residential rehabilitation and small-business loans.

klowe@herald-review.com|421-7985