PORTLAND, Maine - The fire and building codes task force set up by the city of Portland met for the last time Thursday, before finalizing its recommendations for the City Council.
The 12-member panel was established in the wake of the deadly November fire in a rental housing unit on Noyes Street which killed six young adults. The aim is to improve fire safety in the city's 17,000 rental units.
Task force member Brit Vitalius, of the Southern Maine Landlords Association, says one of the recommendations is for landlords and tenants to sign a disclosure agreement.
'What it would say is something like, 'When the tenant moves in, there are working smoke detectors, there are two egresses, there are fire doors,' " Vitalius says. "So it would help us legally because, at that moment, the tenants will be signing that they're in place. But really, it's also a list for the landlords, to make sure they've got, also, smoke detectors and the tenants can hold them accountable."
Task force Katherine McGovern is an attorney with Pine Tree Legal, which represents the interests of tenants.
"I'm excited that there's going to be an emphasis on more significant enforcement and follow-through, and a greater accountability and transparency for tenants and members of the public," McGovern says.
The recommendations will be presented at a public meeting next Tuesday before being formally taken up by the council the following week.
