That sounds good

Lost in the protest earlier this week, that in all likelihood resulted in the pulling of legislation seeking to regulate landlords in Harford County, was a curious juxtaposition of timing: the hearing for the ill-fated bill was one of the first orders of Harford County Council business to be transacted in the newly-reopened county council building, better known as the Black Box.

The Black Box was evacuated about a year ago when its structural integrity was called into question and there was concern for the safety of people working there. The problems were more easily and cheaply fixed than some had suspected, and the county council is back to holding its meetings in the landmark building.

Building safety was the subject matter for a livability code bill that had been scheduled for a public hearing before the county council Tuesday night. Even as a couple dozen protesters were picketing outside the building calling the livability code unnecessary government meddling, the bill was pulled, ostensibly because related statewide legislation is under consideration in Annapolis.

The stated goals of the county bill were noble enough, though it remains to be seen how effective a livability code would be. As it stands, there are building codes that deal with things like structural safety (as evidenced by the closing of the Black Box), state health department regulations and regulations that deal with plumbing, heating and electricity.

None of this is to say that there aren't problems with some of the rental housing in Harford County. As is the case just about everywhere there are rental properties, there are some landlords whose offerings are sub par, and likely as not even a few that should be boarded up under existing laws.

It's hard to imagine how adding a few more lines to the county code, and also charging landlords a relatively nominal (though easily increased) registration fee would do anything to improve the lot of people whose landlords leave something to be desired.

On the whole, government regulation is not a bad thing when it comes to protecting the general public from the excesses of a few. Just as there are regulations to prevent people from using their back yards as garbage dumps, there are regulations governing basic housing standards, and such things have long been part of various state and local codes. If there are problems with housing, rental or owner occupied, there are already laws on the books that can be enforced to address most of them.

What is bad when it comes to government regulation is adding to what's already in place simply because what's already in place isn't being enforced. It's already illegal to drive faster than 65 mph on I-95, so making it illegal again will have no effect on speeders. Similarly, if there are problems with particular landlords in Harford County, there are better ways to deal with those problems than enacting a law with a noble sounding goal and name.

The demise of the livability code is no great loss.

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