By Kelly Morgan,Staff Writer

PARIS – A public hearing on an ordinance that would regulate the town’s rental housing has been tentatively scheduled for May 10.

Paris Planning Board Chairman Russ Case said Thursday that few changes have been made to the proposed rental occupancy ordinance since it was presented to the Paris Board of Selectmen earlier this week.

At that meeting Monday, Code Enforcement Officer Al Holden explained he helped draft the ordinance in an attempt to address complaints about some rental properties. “Basically we just want to be sure (landlords) are in compliance with the local codes and ordinances,” he said.

According to the draft ordinance, “Anyone seeking to rent one or more dwelling units in one structure must first obtain an occupancy permit for each dwelling unit from the town of Paris.”

Permits also would be required to rent rooms to boarders.

The draft ordinance states that inspections are required as part of the occupancy permit application process. The permits would be renewed every two years and would require inspections for each renewal. The ordinance would establish a $25 inspection fee for each rental unit or rooming unit that is to be occupied.

On Monday, Selectman Raymond Glover asked about a statement that exempted some rental properties from routine inspections if a landlord provided a letter from an insurance company. The type of letter required was not defined.

Russ Case said Thursday that the Planning Board has since stricken the language from the draft ordinance.

At a meeting Tuesday, he said, board members learned that different insurance companies have different inspection standards. “So what we’re going to,” Case said, “is have one set of inspection rules and Al Holden will do all the inspections.”

The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to review the latest ordinance revisions at its May 9 meeting. The Planning Board is scheduled to have a public hearing on the document at 6:30 p.m. May 10.

If approved by the Planning Board and selectmen, the ordinance will appear before voters at the annual town meeting.