Crime-Free Multi-Housing program moves forward - Newton Daily News

“There were changes made to the training and the background checks,” City Administrator Bob Knabel said. The provider of the education portion of the program is now at the discretion of the landlord. Year two, those with eight to 20 units will be required, and in year three, has those with seven or fewer units needing proof of education. “Background checks were not mandatory to be done by the city but left to the landlords to show proof that they have completed those,” Knabel said. The city will provide landlords with information on what should be done in the background checks, and if the landlord so chooses, the city will perform the background checks itself. “After sitting through our last meeting and this ongoing series, I am very impressed with how everybody is working together and we have made some great progress on this,” said Dennis Combs, a Central Iowa Property Association member. He said he has heard of eviction after eviction tossed out of the courts. Hansen and council members said they would work with the landlords to help answer questions and fix any problems they were having. Source: www.newtondailynews.com