YOUNGSTOWN — With more than 1,000 residential rental properties believed to have lead-based paint, the city is moving forward with creating a board to help enforce the removal of the harmful products.

When city council approved an ordinance on July 31, 2023, to create an ordinance addressing lead-based paint, the goal was to have all residential rental properties be lead-free in five years.

“We have more than 1,000 residential rental properties that need to come into compliance,” said Tara Cioffi, administrator for the city health district. “Landlords are required to hire a certified lead-abatement specialist to assess their properties and pull a minimum number of samples for inspection.”

The legislation requires that for all residential rentals built before Jan. 1, 1978.

A majority of lead poisoning of children occurs in rental properties that are either single-family or four units or less, according to the health district.

Since council approved the residential lead-based paint ordinance, the health district has contacted everyone on the city’s residential property registration list about it, sent out a mass mailing and email and held a lead-based paint symposium in June, Cioffi said.

Now it’s time to create the Lead-Safe Advisory Board, she said

The board will consist of seven members.

Four have already been appointed with three more needed. Those three include a member of city council, a current owner of a residential rental property and a lead-safe auditor.

The board is required to meet at least four times a year.

The board will provide recommendations for improvements to the city’s lead safe policies and procedures, report on a quarterly basis the progress and status of the city’s lead-safe certification and other prevention-related efforts, select an outside entity to produce impact analysis of the certification program and review the analysis.