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A RESOLUTION • OPPOSING THE ADOPTION OF A STATEWIDE BUILDING MAINTENANCE CODE WHICH WOULD SUPERCEDE THE CHARLOTTESVILLE HOUSING CODE. WHEREAS, the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development is expected to vote August 19, 1985 on whether to adopt a proposed statewide Building Maintenance Code; and WHEREAS, adoption of such code would preclude Charlottes- ville from enforcing its own housing code; and WHEREAS, the proposed code, although based on the BOCA Basic/National Existing Structures Code (1984 Edition), has been substantially amended and significantly weakened; and WHEREAS, the proposed code omits many important pro- visions now covered in Charlottesville's housing code, and would render our efforts to protect residents from unsafe and unsanitary housing difficult, if not impossible; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Charlottesville, that the following urgent message • be transmitted by the Clerk of Council to the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development as well as to the Governor of Virginia; The City Council of the City of Charlottes- ville opposes the adoption of any statewide Building Maintenance Code which would preclude Charlottesville from enforcing its housing code. We have no objection to adoption of a model code which localities could choose to enforce, but Charlottesville and other localities should not be precluded from continued enforce- ment of local housing codes. All communities have unique needs. The proposed Code fails as an attempt to strike a reasonable compromise between urban and rural needs. The proposed Code omits provisions relating to lead-based paint, safety and cleanliness of yards, rat infest- ation, space requirements per person, to cite but a few examples. It also weakens responsibility and penalty provisions, deletes specifics and generalizes many requirements to the point of rendering them unenforceable platitudes.