Title
Amending Chapter 189.10 of the Legislative Code pertaining to duties of frequency of the Truth-in-Sale of Housing Board evaluator examination.
Body
SECTION 1
WHEREAS, a Truth-in-Sale of Housing (TISH) evaluation is used to determine the condition of the structural, electrical and mechanical systems as they relate to Chapter 34, minimum housing standards for dwellings or dwelling units of the City of St. Paul and the Evaluator Guidelines adopted by the Truth-in-Sale of Housing Board; and
WHEREAS, having disclosure evaluations performed by licensed evaluators is important to the consumer protection of a dwelling buyer; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Safety & Inspections licenses evaluators after completing a written and practical exam; and
WHEREAS, diligently organizing, conducting and scoring the examination is labor and resource intensive; and
WHEREAS, the Truth-in-Sale of Housing (TISH) Board reviewed Chapter 189.10(4) a. concerning the frequency to hold the TISH examination for prospective applicants who wish to become licensed evaluators for the City of Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, the need for more active examiners can be measured by recorded data, including the overall number evaluations conducted, the number of licensed evaluators, and the quantity of inspections per inspector in Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, in the past three years, the number of evaluators has remained steady (50-55), while the average evaluations per active evaluator has declined from 122 in 2021, 92 in 2022, and 75 in 2023; and
WHEREAS, the TISH Board, along with the Director of the Department of Safety and Inspections and their designee require the flexibility to administer the examination more frequently or less frequently, based on the housing market and needs of the community; and
WHEREAS, the current language requires the examination be given every two years which is restrictive to prospective applicants.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that ...
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