4/9/13 - The Howell City Council met Monday night and reached consensus in exploring possible strategies to regulate transient housing in the community. Staff has been looking into group housing arrangements for transient individuals in multi-family zoning districts and after review, concluded the only means of addressing the issue in those areas is to regulate the transient nature of the use. Staff has since been in discussions with municipal planners at the request of Mayor Phil Campbell and Council authorized a $1,500 estimate that was provided to draft transient housing ordinance language and prepare it for adoption. Campbell says with more state budget cuts and prisons closing, more prisoners are being released and communities are becoming inundated with parolees, some of which are sex offenders and housed in these types of transient homes. Since Howell is the county seat and in close proximity to the court system, Campbell tells WHMI he expects to see an increase in these types of homes and wants to have some regulations governing what comes into the city. A home on Washington Street is grandfathered in under current zoning and houses both general parolees and others with mental health issues who are placed by Professional Consulting Services. The home no longer contracts for placement with the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Program, following resident concerns raised last year after it was discovered that a home on Jewett Street (pictured) had been housing parolees in violation of zoning ordinances. (JM)
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