Lead Paint
The Cleveland City Council's Health and Human Services Committee passed two pieces of legislation that aim to combat the Ohio city's lead crisis, local television station WEWS-TV reports.
Among other things, the proposed legislation would require owners of rental units to certify their properties as lead safe beginning in March 2021. All properties must be certified by March 2023. The proposed legislation would also increase the rental registration fee from $35 to $70; implement lead safe status disclosure in the sale or lease of property; creates a Lead Safe Auditor to monitor the lead safe certification process and creates a Lead Safe Advisory Board.
It marks a major step in the community’s efforts to address the lead issues in Cleveland, which poisons a staggering number of children each year. Recent studies by Case Western Reserve University found that one in four children in Cleveland have elevated blood lead levels.
While the city will be tasked with enforcing the proposed legislation, if passed, the coalition of private and philanthropic entities will have distinct support roles as well. Officials have previously mentioned that the private and philanthropic entities may assist the lead safe initiative by providing funding for low-income landlords who will be forced to make the required repairs and abatements to their properties. City officials have estimated that there are more than 80,000 rental units in the city. Ayonna Blue Donald, the director of the city’s department of building and housing, told councilmembers the hearing that the number of rental units may have ballooned to more than 90,000. A majority of those homes were built prior to 1978 when lead paint was outlawed.
The legislation would require all residential rental units in the city constructed before 1978 to provide the building and housing department a lead-clearance examination report or lead-risk assessment evidencing that no lead hazards were identified in the unit. The report would require an inspection by a licensed inspector and, if necessary, remediation efforts by a certified lead contractor.
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