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City Attorney Rob Collison read a memo Wednesday night on several issues concerning the board-up standards and the registration and inspection of rental units within Cambridge to council members.

Collison said originally, the general goal of the board-up ordinance was to put a limitation on how long something could be boarded up, make sure that it was boarded securely and then to encourage and try to force a rehab of at least the exterior of the building.

One issue addressed in the memo was what exactly constitutes a "board-up." Collison said some homes have boarded-up windows on the second or third floor of a home which is constituted as a board-up, according to the existing codes in the Department of Public Works.

A second issue addressed in the memo is whether separate boarding permits would be required if a homeowner already has gotten a building permit to complete certain repairs. Collison said there needed to be clarification about what permit a person needed to apply for and how many were needed to complete repairs to a home damaged in a fire, for example.

A third topic of concern in the memo was the issuance of citations for violations. Some Cambridge residents have been receiving violation citations after an outstanding demolition order has already been issued.

Collison said the Department of Public Works has proposed some modifications to the board-up ordinance, including an adjustment that permitted protective coverings on windows. The proposal would allow a homeowner who has removed the boarding and invested in replacing the windows to put a clear protective treatment on the outside. This would meet the intent of not being "boarded-up" and seeing a sheet of plywood over a window.

Although Wednesday night's meeting was a work session, Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley allowed a few public comments.

James Chaney, representing the Landlords Association, said he believed the issues presented wouldn't be solved by one work session and one public hearing. He recommended to the council to create a task force to come up with recommendations and a plan to present to council members for consideration, which the council agreed with.

When the discussion about the ordinance on registration and inspection of rental units began, Chaney also suggested the same idea of recommendations from a task force.

Within the memo, recommendations included considering that a property is meeting livability standards instead of covering all of the residential codes and allowing the landlord the option of having a private inspector inspect their property instead of the city. Collison said several landlords objected to city employees inspecting their residence.

Chaney told council members landlords go through numerous inspections which include inspections from Section 8, Maryland Department of the Environment and insurance companies. An inspection from the city would be "just one more inspection" landlords would have to go through, Chaney said.

Other residents brought up questions about why housing inspections from the city are necessary, why information hasn't been provided on what's being inspected or what's being looked for and what aesthetical requirements a property should comply with.

Jackson-Stanley had to remind everyone as well as council members several times that the Wednesday night meeting was only a work session, not a public hearing or a debate. She said those items would be discussed during task force meetings, and recommendations and plans would be brought back to council.

Although many volunteers signed up for the task force Wednesday night, anyone not at the work session who is interested in being on the task force may call Dale Price at the Department of Public Works at 410-228-1955 by Monday, Dec. 13.