The Housing Committee met Wednesday night to discuss an ordinance which will increase lock security on various apartment complexes throughout the Madison area.
The proposed ordinance will require landlords with insufficient security systems to adjust security for their apartment complexes within 180 days of imposition.
Several leaders in the apartment community attended the meeting, including Steve Brown, president of The Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin and owner of Steve Brown Apartments, and several private owners.
Landlord Rebecca Anderson said she has several issues with the proposed ordinance.
\The problem I have with this is what kind of system you're going to require,"" Anderson said. ""Are you going to have me wire in all 47 apartments so they all have their own buzzers? That's thousands of dollars! Maybe [Brown] can afford it, but I can't.""
Other concerns raised by landlords include a portion of the ordinance that would require locks on laundry room doors.
""Every time I go down there there's a chair propped up against the door. It just doesn't seem to work,"" Anderson said.
Brown emphasized the importance of locks on laundry room doors.
""Laundry rooms are traditionally an unsafe place; especially for women doing their laundry late at night,"" he said.
Brown is very adamant about landlords and tenants working together to provide a safe living environment.
""There's a responsibility on both sides. Educating tenants is the best tool to solving this problem,"" he said. ""Some of the assaults that you hear about downtown actually happened inside the apartment buildings. People come in from outside, go to their rooms, and because the exterior of the building is locked they do not lock the door to their apartment.""
The vote on the lock ordinance was deferred back to the subcommittee and will be back for consideration by the housing committee in 30 days.
