Uhrichsville Council Agrees that Landlords Need Reimbursed

City of Uhrichsville council agrees with the mayor that landlord fees need to be repaid.

This is in the midst of a class action lawsuit filed by Kevin and Gerald Barker in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court.

In July, Mayor Jim Zucal vetoed councils’ approval of hiring outside legal counsel. Zucal’s main reason was the $10,000 retainer fee and billed hours the city would have to pay for more attorneys.

“My request is justified. We must end the nonsense, and this is an issue as a matter of finance and is purely about dollars. This city, and I’m adlibbing, is not flush with money. I recommend those fees are rightfully paid back. It was not handled correctly. The last administration failed them horribly. This issue of a court battle could on for years. The amount that’s owed to the landlords’ ballpark number is around $90,000. I’m asking council to pay them back.”

Zucal said instead of getting into a legal battle the city needs to reimburse the landlords the registration fees that were deemed illegal by the court. He added Uhrichsville needs to focus on more crucial items.

“Paving our streets, putting down fresh paint, patching potholes, selling the numerous owned properties, and enforcing and prosecuting law that are already on the books. If we want to function effectively as a government and do what the taxpayers of the city want, then I need your support. That means all of council, the administration, the employees, the law director, everyone.”

Council discussed the issue in executive session before a vote.

“We agree with the mayor that the landlords should get their money back. The law director is directed to attempt to settle the Barker case with one condition, that all landlords who paid under the old ordinance be reimbursed. The city auditor is directed to provide proof to the law director that sufficient funds are available.”

The latest judgement order in the class action lawsuit allowed the city 60 days, or before September 25th, to file a response to the motion for class certification.