City Councilman Jay Benanav’s proposed ordinance might not be the only solution to St. Paul’s student housing issues.

Recently, Benanav added a new element to his now infamous student housing proposal. The new element will require each rental property to obtain a certificate of occupancy, ensuring that the building meets fire code regulations.

Benanav’s previous proposed ordinance only required a change in St. Paul’s zoning code that would limiting number of student houses to one every 350 feet.

“I proposed this plan for a variety of reasons,” Benanav said. “The issue was raised in Ward 4 and there is a general concern about code violations, property upkeep, student safety and a concern about over concentration of rental units.”

Benanav said he believes that recent events, such as the fire that killed three University of Minnesota students living in off-campus housing, have made student safety a primary concern. “Safety is an important issue,” he said. “What we are trying to do is make sure properties are up to code. My ordinance would do that.”

Opponents of the proposal argue that inspection of all rental properties will further strain the city’s already tight budget. They also say that targeting student housing affects only a small area of the city and ignores fire code violations in non-student housing.

Andy Dawkins, director of the Office of Neighborhood Housing and Property Improvement in St. Paul, has proposed an alternate plan. Dawkins’ plan, rather than focusing on student housing, offers a blanket citywide proposal to fix the problems associated with all rental properties, not just those occupied by students.

Dawkins’ plan seeks to hold landlords and residents accountable for the upkeep of property through what he calls a “polluter pays” system and regulation of excessive consumption of city services. Under the “polluter pays” system, if a property receives a nuisance complaint, the city will contact the landlord, inspect the property and create a plan of action to solve the complaint. If thea nuisance complaint, the city will contact the landlord, inspect the property and create a plan of action to solve the complaint. If the landlord refuses to comply with the plan, he or she could lose the right to rent property or face a fine. Renewal of the right to rent requires an interior inspection of the property.

Some say that such consumption creates a strain on city resources such as police and code enforcement officials. When the city must inspect a property for code violations, the landlord incurs a fine which increases with the number of inspections on their properties and can be as high as $300. Dawkins said that this policy will encourage landlords to take better care of their properties, thus creating a safer situation for renters.

St. Paul could implement the Dawkins plan with no new costs to the city. The money needed to pay for inspections would come from fining problem landlords.

Though the city council has yet to decide which plan it will adopt, both the mayor and other city council members have voiced support for Dawkins’ plan.