Better purpose for money

“Better purpose for money,” Carmel Pine Cone — June 9, 2023

After reading The Pine Cone’s article about the City of Monterey’s proposed “rental registry” last week, my conclusion is that this is going to drive property owners to sell, and rents to skyrocket, thereby increasing the existing shortage of rentals.

Renters will also be the first to bear the burden of the new program fees and license fees placed on property owners, who will have to raise rents.

I was shocked to read about the outrageous taxpayer-funded program expenses. The program’s initial cost is $100,000, including $25,000 for initial software, then a $30,000 per annum subscription. This is not acceptable!

On top of this, add $400,000 annually, which will surely increase, not to mention full-time, expensive staff salaries with benefits and lifetime retirements, all paid for by property owners and taxpayers.

A “rental registry” with a list of owners and tenants, would make single women tenants and military members with top-secret clearances vulnerable targets for strangers, who will have access to their private information and rental locations.

City employee Kim Cole stated that the rental inventory list program “will benefit both property owners and tenants,” but how? Would this be by adding more expenses to the city’s existing rental market?

The unnecessary program, which is not supported by the majority of owners, tenants, or taxpayers, would also be an unnecessary invasion of privacy and would give the general public access to financial and personal information that could be used against them by strangers.

If any of those proposing such a draconian ordinance own rental properties, they should recuse themselves from voting on such an expensive, unnecessary ordinance.

Why molest something that has been working here for generations?

Charlaine Carter, Monterey