SOAP LAKE - A ordinance passed last June that affects Soap Lake landlords was revived for a city council discussion that was at times contentious.

Ordinance 1128 requires commercial rental property owners within the city to pay for a safety inspection on some or all of their units before the city issues them a business license. The ordinance states further units can be inspected in the event of tenant complaints regarding basic safety or sanitation concerns.

The council conversation was sparked Wednesday by Kevin Burgess, the owner of an Ephrata real estate agency who said he manages about 180 rental units across Grant County, including some in Soap Lake.

"I'm just wondering if the city of Soap Lake took into consideration the cost (the ordinance) is going to involve for property owners, a cost that's going to get passed on to tenants," he said.

City Planner Darryl Piercy said the ordinance was first brought before council last spring as an issue of public safety.

"It was a response in some part, I think, to events that have happened in other communities where there were several fires resulting in either serious injury or fatalities that could have been prevented had there been adequate safety inspections or safety equipment located within the rental units," he said.

The council at the time realized there would be costs associated with the mandatory inspection of units, Piercy said, but they determined rentals located in Soap Lake should have certain safety requirements and a process ensuring the guidelines are met.

Inspectors are tasked with assuring adequate and non-blocked exits in the event of a structure fire, operable smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are installed and basic health and sanitation systems are in place.

Rental owners can opt to use the city's contracted building inspection provider or hire their own, providing proof of inspection to the city, Piercy said.

City Attorney Katherine Kenison said several other communities in Grant County and around the state have adopted similar measures, with Pasco passing the first such ordinance in 1997.

The Soap Lake code is identical to the Pasco ordinance, which was upheld by the state's Supreme Court, Kenison said.

"One of the things Soap Lake is known for is cheap housing," she told council members. "Unfortunately, the citizens who are attracted to that market tend to be in your most vulnerable groups - a lot of elderly, a lot of single parents a lot of non-English-speaking people - and we have found in a lot of our communities that those more vulnerable groups tend to be taken advantage of at times by housing that is not meeting the requirements."

Such residents are often not willing to come forward and report violations for fear of retaliation by landlords, Kenison said.

"That was the primary reason several other jurisdictions adopted this as a tool to at least level the playing field and require that, if you're going to do business in our city as a landlord, you're going to have to prove that your rental units meet certain standards," she said.

Burgess told council he had no problem with the reasons behind the ordinance, but rather with the associated costs of mandatory inspections, which he doesn't believe will do much good in the long run.

"I'm more than happy to work with the state and the police department at any time, if there's an issue with one of my units," he said. "But I know there's other property owners out there that don't really care as long as they're getting their rent. You're going to go in and do an inspection on one of these properties and five minutes after you leave the tenants are going to move their stuff right back where they had it before. You're not going to protect them."

Councilman John Glassco moved to suspend enforcement of the ordinance until the newly elected council has a chance to review it, a motion that died for lack of a second.

He contended no ordinance is needed as safety inspections should fall under the authority of the Soap Lake Fire Department and the Grant County Health District.

"It just seems as though, if we're a friendly community that's trying to encourage growth and use of our city as a residence, that we can just fall into the standard methods of checking these things out," Glassco said. "If you build something, it has to be inspected and if you rent something, it has to be a complaint from the health department or some other source. It seems to me that the city should stay out of people's private business."

Kenison clarified the function of the health department is not to engage in tenant inspections and said the fire department is only authorized to conduct commercial property inspections, not residential.

"It's not like we're going in and searching people's property or intruding into their private affairs," Kenison said. "We just want proof when we issue the business licenses that they are renting facilities that meet certain minimum requirements."

But Glassco said he disagrees with the notion of "creating another level of government" to start inspecting peoples homes and buildings.

"That doesn't seem to be justified except in this notion that it's about Soap Lake's image and we're known for cheap housing," he said. "That ... doesn't seem to be a threshold that would require a special ordinance, so that people are protected to make sure they've got smoke detectors and toilets that flush."

Following further discussion, Councilman John Hillman became visibly frustrated with Glassco, telling him the issue was already discussed extensively last year and didn't need to be revisited.

At the prompting of Mayor Raymond Gravelle and others, Glassco agreed to withhold further comments on the issue until next council meeting, when it will be on the official agenda.