Opponents of the city's new rental ordinances failed in another attempt Tuesday to derail the rules.
Lawrence city commissioners gave final approval to minor amendments to the rental licensing ordinance but not before they had heard an hour of debate on what was expected to be a routine vote.
"It's a bad law," said Carolyn Bloom, criticizing a related ordinance that bars more than three unrelated people from living together in a single-family zoned home.
Neighborhood advocates who worked for the ordinances were on hand to defend the rules. They said much of the outcry from landlords and their allies has come from people who didn't participate in the original process.
"If he'd attended any of the meetings the last two years," Betty Alderson said of critic, "he might have answers to some of his questions."
Early last year, the Lawrence City Commission passed an ordinance that says no more than three unrelated people can live together in a home in an area zoned for single-family residences. Commissioners also required rental properties in single-family zoning areas be licensed starting Feb. 1.
Nearly 300 properties have been registered, officials said.
The amendments approved clarify when landlords are expected to name their tenants to officials and make explicit that institutional group homes are exempt from licensing.
Tuesday's debate, however, barely touched on those details.
Bloom's husband, former Eudora schools superintendent Dan Bloom, said the new rules were unnecessary.
"We don't need more government, we don't need more rules, we don't need to hire more inspectors, we don't need more forms to fill out," he said. "We already have more than we need."
Commissioners, however, said they want to see how the ordinances work.
"We're not even considering or reconsidering the ordinance," Commissioner Sue Hack said. "It's time we give it a chance and move on."
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