Several Charleston landlords have readily agreed to have their properties inspected over spring break, Mayor Dan Cougill said at Thursday’s External Relations Committee meeting Tuesday night.

“There are some really good landlords in Charleston,” Cougill said, noting how cooperative they have been about the inspections.

The city tried to pass a required rental inspection ordinance last fall, but was unable to do so because of the “home rule” stipulation of the Illinois Constitution. Only cities with a population of 25,000 or more can exercise home rule, which allows cities to make their own regulations.

Cities without home rule must follow state regulations, which say cities can only enforce a law if a law for the desired rule already exists.

Since the city could not require rental inspections, Mayor Cougill has worked since November to institute voluntary rental inspections.

“There are some really good benefits for them especially if they can advertise that they’ve been inspected,” he said, adding that students and parents will be more inclined to pay rental fees knowing properties have passed inspection.

The committee also discussed timing the operation of the pedestrian light at Fourth Street, the formation of a subcommittee that would help decide how to regulate noisy house parties, and gave updates about the Unified Development Code and the search for a new City Manager.

Cougill voiced several concerns he had about the pedestrian light on Fourth Street flashing 24 hours a day.

“The issue was that there are students who have a class in Lantz and a class in Coleman and crossing Fourth Street can be a real pain,” Cougill said. “It was not meant to accommodate drunks coming back from the bars at midnight.”

Additionally, Cougill expressed concern that local motorists would become immune to the constant flashing light.

“The problem with the light going 24 hours a day, seven days a week is that it’s like the little boy crying wolf,” he said.

Possible times of operation for the lights could be from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., but a definite decision has not yet been made.

The Fourth Street light was installed last spring in an effort to slow the traffic where a lot of students cross the road. Discussion took place last semester on operation times for the light, but it still runs 24 hours a day.

Cougill also discussed the progression of the Unified Development Code, saying that the Code will possibly go to Council in April, after the zoning board conducts public meetings and public hearings.

The Unified Development Code has been undergoing revisions for the past year and a half to redefine zoning regulations. Two major components of the code affecting Eastern students are the relaxing of R-2 zoning, which would allow five non-blood related individuals to room together, instead of the previous three. The code also creates a university influence area, which will include benefits and regulations for business in that area.

Additionally, the committee discussed the formation of a subcommittee to look at setting regulations for loud house parties.

The issue of loud house parties arose last fall when residents began voicing concerns over noise. The goal is not to stop the house parties, but create a system to regulate the noise level.

The committee addressed the possibility of having police officers carry decibel meters that would essentially measure the noise a house party would produce.

Rather than responding to neighbors’ complaints about noise, police would measure the noise to be sure that that it not exceed a certain number of decibels as decided on by the subcommittee.

The first meeting of the subcommittee, tentatively nicknamed the House Party Subcommittee will be Feb. 28. Goals of the first meeting are to decide on an official name and discuss decibel regulations.