The proposal would have reserved the power to regulate rentals to the state, ending Laramie’s rental housing code. Laramie residents dominated public testimony before the corporations committee.
What I found in most communities is that the City Council is controlled by representatives of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. In Laramie that is not the case and that is a good thing as those governments do not represent the people but their benefactors.
What I find interesting is the lack of discussion about the power of the insurance industry to force landlords to do what is right by their tenets. I was an insurance inspector for a time until I got tired of being the "dick of Wyoming" by telling business owners/landlords that were going to lose their insurance if they did not fix the issues I identified during the inspection.
For instance there is no law that prevents wood burning fireplaces in homes or businesses but almost every property that had one of these existing units would be either get rid of the fireplace or pay a hefty premium to keep one. There were also show stoppers associated with electrical systems, functioning smoke detectors and many other requirements designed to prevent payouts on poorly located or maintained properties.
It seems pretty clear to me that the insurance industry will place far more burdens with far greater leverage than the city ordinance, but complying with these requirements may help reduce the landlord's insurance costs.
And maybe that is what the City Council should do is contact the major property insurers and see if the landlords could get an insurance break if the landlord registered their properties and complied with basic requirements that the city asks for?
As usual, blogger Jeff Victor has cherry picked portions of my testimony before the Committee rather than linking to the actual source material. For full, unredacted video of the discussion, see https://youtu.be/c8Dx_8TH5W8?t=5886.
In the disucussion before the Committee, citizens were outnumbered by bureaucrats, who made a number of very misleading statements. There was also behind-the-scenes lobbying by WAM (the Wyoming Association of Municipalities), which constantly lobbies for more power for municipal governments.
In any event, the bill was eventually voted down. What the legislators who voted against it said - loudly and clearly - is that they believe very strongly in the concept of "local control." As they remarked to me after the vote, they will gladly give us enough rope to hang ourselves. If we in Laramie want to strangle our local economy, harm business development, make housing unaffordable and unavailable, or create an overbearing, overreaching bureaucracy, they will let us do that and learn from our mistakes.
And we are already starting to learn.
Rentals are already in short supply, and rents are already skyrocketing. Tenants are discovering (as shown by public records) that even if they complain to the City about a problem with a rental, they still must go to Small Claims Court (which costs only $10) or Circuit Court (a whopping $35, but it can do more for you) to enforce their rights. Fortunately for them, that's easier to do than to deal with the City.
One of my goals should I be elected to Council (despite Jeff's efforts to campaign against me in this blog) will be to increase the supply of workforce and affordable housing without compromising on quality, safety., or enforcement of tenants' rights. As a landlord, a tenant, AND a longtime resident of Laramie who wants to see it prosper, I see this as vital to our community's future.
The people who are "committing to the bit" are the City Council members who -- after seeing that rents have gone up 30%; that more than 50% of rentals are not registered; and that there have been only 21 complaints, most unresolved, in 31 months -- still refuse to admit that the city ordinance is not working. They're the same members who voted, against the public interest, to destroy downtown parking after 50 members of the public came to meetings and beseeched them to preserve it.
This is why I am running. We need new faces on City Council who do not ignore the facts, do not rubber stamp whatever is brought before them by city bureaucrats, and work to find REAL solutions to our city's pressing problems. For more information about me and my stances on the issues, see http://voteglass.org. It's a simple one pager, mostly just text, that takes about 10 minutes to read and will get you up to date on all of the important issues facing Laramie.
" parking after 50 members of the public came to meetings and beseeched them to preserve it."
You keep saying the same crap over and over....pure democracy leads to chaos as those "50" members are the ones angry enough to show up, but do not reflect the feelings of all of Laramie. You do not want the competition as NONE of the rental complexes in the downtown have designated parking so why this one? Increasing the number of units available will drive down rents Brett and you know that is the fact. You do not want nor can you stand the competition. Well actually you can because you re-invest so little in your properties, so you could drop rents if the market forces came into play.
The pandemic sloshed people and money around the country allowing landlords to pile on, especially in a place like Laramie. Here is a gift article explaining that rents are going down in places where more options come on line.
I did not go to the meeting to testify for the structure as the deal was already pretty much done. I would and still continue to advocate for building up and not out as SPRAWL is what costs Wyoming money.
I look at the signs pushing candidates placed on rental properties are going to be easy targets to tell any renters that their landlord/lawyer are not on their side so do not vote for landlord that puts their signs on a renter's house. If you rent and vote for Glass or Crum then you are voting against your interests and those are the facts.
Always the troll, Greg. You never change, do you? Guess not.
The fact is that the 50 people who came to testify came from all walks of life, all manner of businesses, and both political parties. They were representative of the public. As I will be if elected.
As for your other comments with regard to rental property owners and managers: alas, like Jeff, you deal in nothing but hate speech against some of the hardest working people in Laramie. You're wrong on policy and wrong on the facts. You couldn't do the job we do, nor do you have the foggiest idea of what drives Laramie's housing prices and rents. So pipe down and listen to those of us who do.
Ah "hate speech"....always throwing around loaded terms when the truth comes your way. You celebrate 50 people and act like everyone backs your play when most, in fact all, despise that they need you for their dirty work. You readily admit you're like a wind sock and will line up with anyone that sides with you for a second, which is why you blew over to the Republicans this cycle Brett.
When you do not like speech you either block them or denigrate them.
I do know some hard working landlords in Laramie Brett and I know some scummy ones. Pretty easy to spot, just walk past their rentals and you can tell which ones work and which ones milk their cows....errr renters.
Since you whine that I am a troll and spew hate speech when I am actually pointing out facts, I want to provide an example of actual "hate speech" directed at you Brett. Brett Glass has had to raise rents faster over the years due to the increasing amounts of hair dye he has to buy to cover up his expanding grey hair even as he loses more of it each day. That is hate speech Brett, so pipe down, you dyed clown as you are the biggest joke in this little town.
What I found in most communities is that the City Council is controlled by representatives of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. In Laramie that is not the case and that is a good thing as those governments do not represent the people but their benefactors.
What I find interesting is the lack of discussion about the power of the insurance industry to force landlords to do what is right by their tenets. I was an insurance inspector for a time until I got tired of being the "dick of Wyoming" by telling business owners/landlords that were going to lose their insurance if they did not fix the issues I identified during the inspection.
For instance there is no law that prevents wood burning fireplaces in homes or businesses but almost every property that had one of these existing units would be either get rid of the fireplace or pay a hefty premium to keep one. There were also show stoppers associated with electrical systems, functioning smoke detectors and many other requirements designed to prevent payouts on poorly located or maintained properties.
It seems pretty clear to me that the insurance industry will place far more burdens with far greater leverage than the city ordinance, but complying with these requirements may help reduce the landlord's insurance costs.
And maybe that is what the City Council should do is contact the major property insurers and see if the landlords could get an insurance break if the landlord registered their properties and complied with basic requirements that the city asks for?
As usual, blogger Jeff Victor has cherry picked portions of my testimony before the Committee rather than linking to the actual source material. For full, unredacted video of the discussion, see https://youtu.be/c8Dx_8TH5W8?t=5886.
In the disucussion before the Committee, citizens were outnumbered by bureaucrats, who made a number of very misleading statements. There was also behind-the-scenes lobbying by WAM (the Wyoming Association of Municipalities), which constantly lobbies for more power for municipal governments.
In any event, the bill was eventually voted down. What the legislators who voted against it said - loudly and clearly - is that they believe very strongly in the concept of "local control." As they remarked to me after the vote, they will gladly give us enough rope to hang ourselves. If we in Laramie want to strangle our local economy, harm business development, make housing unaffordable and unavailable, or create an overbearing, overreaching bureaucracy, they will let us do that and learn from our mistakes.
And we are already starting to learn.
Rentals are already in short supply, and rents are already skyrocketing. Tenants are discovering (as shown by public records) that even if they complain to the City about a problem with a rental, they still must go to Small Claims Court (which costs only $10) or Circuit Court (a whopping $35, but it can do more for you) to enforce their rights. Fortunately for them, that's easier to do than to deal with the City.
One of my goals should I be elected to Council (despite Jeff's efforts to campaign against me in this blog) will be to increase the supply of workforce and affordable housing without compromising on quality, safety., or enforcement of tenants' rights. As a landlord, a tenant, AND a longtime resident of Laramie who wants to see it prosper, I see this as vital to our community's future.
Honestly, I respect your commitment to the bit.
The people who are "committing to the bit" are the City Council members who -- after seeing that rents have gone up 30%; that more than 50% of rentals are not registered; and that there have been only 21 complaints, most unresolved, in 31 months -- still refuse to admit that the city ordinance is not working. They're the same members who voted, against the public interest, to destroy downtown parking after 50 members of the public came to meetings and beseeched them to preserve it.
This is why I am running. We need new faces on City Council who do not ignore the facts, do not rubber stamp whatever is brought before them by city bureaucrats, and work to find REAL solutions to our city's pressing problems. For more information about me and my stances on the issues, see http://voteglass.org. It's a simple one pager, mostly just text, that takes about 10 minutes to read and will get you up to date on all of the important issues facing Laramie.
" parking after 50 members of the public came to meetings and beseeched them to preserve it."
You keep saying the same crap over and over....pure democracy leads to chaos as those "50" members are the ones angry enough to show up, but do not reflect the feelings of all of Laramie. You do not want the competition as NONE of the rental complexes in the downtown have designated parking so why this one? Increasing the number of units available will drive down rents Brett and you know that is the fact. You do not want nor can you stand the competition. Well actually you can because you re-invest so little in your properties, so you could drop rents if the market forces came into play.
The pandemic sloshed people and money around the country allowing landlords to pile on, especially in a place like Laramie. Here is a gift article explaining that rents are going down in places where more options come on line.
I did not go to the meeting to testify for the structure as the deal was already pretty much done. I would and still continue to advocate for building up and not out as SPRAWL is what costs Wyoming money.
I look at the signs pushing candidates placed on rental properties are going to be easy targets to tell any renters that their landlord/lawyer are not on their side so do not vote for landlord that puts their signs on a renter's house. If you rent and vote for Glass or Crum then you are voting against your interests and those are the facts.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/rent-average-by-county-change-rising-falling/
Always the troll, Greg. You never change, do you? Guess not.
The fact is that the 50 people who came to testify came from all walks of life, all manner of businesses, and both political parties. They were representative of the public. As I will be if elected.
As for your other comments with regard to rental property owners and managers: alas, like Jeff, you deal in nothing but hate speech against some of the hardest working people in Laramie. You're wrong on policy and wrong on the facts. You couldn't do the job we do, nor do you have the foggiest idea of what drives Laramie's housing prices and rents. So pipe down and listen to those of us who do.
Ah "hate speech"....always throwing around loaded terms when the truth comes your way. You celebrate 50 people and act like everyone backs your play when most, in fact all, despise that they need you for their dirty work. You readily admit you're like a wind sock and will line up with anyone that sides with you for a second, which is why you blew over to the Republicans this cycle Brett.
When you do not like speech you either block them or denigrate them.
I do know some hard working landlords in Laramie Brett and I know some scummy ones. Pretty easy to spot, just walk past their rentals and you can tell which ones work and which ones milk their cows....errr renters.
Since you whine that I am a troll and spew hate speech when I am actually pointing out facts, I want to provide an example of actual "hate speech" directed at you Brett. Brett Glass has had to raise rents faster over the years due to the increasing amounts of hair dye he has to buy to cover up his expanding grey hair even as he loses more of it each day. That is hate speech Brett, so pipe down, you dyed clown as you are the biggest joke in this little town.
Greg, thank you for proving my point. Have a great day!