If you are a landlord in Tucson, you may want to attend this. The next Tucson Police Dept. (TPD) Crime Free Multi-Housing (CFMH) program for landlords begins Thursday, January 21, 2010. The seminar will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the main meeting room of the Patrick J. Hardesty Midtown Police Substation, 1100 S. Alvernon Way, NW corner of E. 22nd St.

The program for this all day seminar includes the following:

* Description of the CFMH steps and certification
* Fair Housing – by Sandy Fagan, Southwest Fair Housing Council
* Why and how to do renter screening
* Background and credit checks
* Rental Agreements and the Crime Free Lease Addendum
* Eviction Processes – Pima County Constable’s Office
* Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act – by a Crime Free Multi-Housing Program attorney
* Rights and Obligations of Landlords – Rights and Obligations of Tenants
* Drug Recognition – What drug users/dealers can do to your rental property – by Tucson Police drug enforcement officers
* Gangs – What gang members can do to your rental property – by Tucson Police gang enforcement officers

From TPD website:
“The Crime Free Multi-Housing Program is an international program which partners property owners, residents, and law enforcement personnel in an effort to eliminate crime in multi-housing properties. The program began in 1992 in Mesa, Arizona and has spread to 38 states, 3 Canadian provinces, and over 700 cities. The Tucson Police Department has been a member of this most worthwhile program for several years now,”

If you miss this program, the next ones are schedules for Thursdays April 8, July 8, and October 7, 2010. Log onto their website for further information about the follow up workshops.

“This program is endorsed by the Neighborhood Support Network (NSN) of Tucson and Southern Arizona as one of the best ways to prevent crime and disorder from happening in neighborhoods.” Thanks Don Ijams, NSN Coordinator for sending out their online information on this program.

For info on this CFMH program contact
CSO Becky Noel #37968
Operations Division Midtown Crime Free Coordinator
Tucson Police Department
1100 S. Alvernon
Tucson, AZ 85711
Office (520) 837-7428
FAX (520) 791-5422

I attended another City of Tucson’s Community Key Services Dialogue tonight at the Ward 6 council office, 3202 E. 1st street.

In attendance were the some of the City staffers that were there last week at the first dialogue in Ward 3 (at the NW Neighborhood Center). Councilmember Nina Trasoff and City Manager Mike Letcher did the welcomes. The format was the same, with six break out tables of residents discussing the same questions I wrote about in my previous blog “Let the Dialogues Begin” on 9/28/09.

Neighbors/activists I recognized participating tonight: Paul Mackey, Les Pierce, Don Ijams (Neighborhood Support Network), Colette Altaffer & Ruth Beeker (Neighborhood Infill Coalition), Robin Gomez, Bill Dupont, Mary DeCamp (candidate for Ward 3 council seat), Joanie Sawyer (Pro Neighborhoods), Alice Roe, Tres English.

Again, there was a promise at the end to post these comments and suggestions on their website, www.tucsonaz.gov/dialogues. But again there was no consensus on what are the City’s top budget priorities and what areas need to be cut. I wonder how the City Manager & his staff will weed through all these suggestions to come up with “key services” that should be prioritized for the City’s budget. Otherwise, these public dialogues may become mere “discussions”, with no solutions.

There are still five more City dialogues to attend in case you’ve missed the first three.

Coming up tomorrow night is the one in Ward 4 at Desert Sky Middle School, 9850 E. Rankin Loop, at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Be there to express your opinion on how the City of Tucson should prioritize their budget, but I wonder what the final outcome after these 8 dialogues will be. Stay tuned.