The Cave Spring City Council met this morning for a called meeting to pass an ordinance regulating boarding houses throughout the city limits.

The ordinance, passed after a second reading, not only regulates where boarding houses can be set up, but also regulates fees, taxes and licensing of the owners and operators of the houses.

Mayor Rob Ware previously said there are two or three group home-type operations in the city that have officials concerned about the health and safety of the residents.

The facilities — which are not licensed as nursing homes — primarily serve “quasi-independent” people who don’t quite meet eligibility requirements for state-funded care, City Attorney Gene Richardson said in past meetings.

“We’re trying to regulate places that aren’t regulated, but it’s very complicated,” he said.

The ordinance calls for boarding houses to be located at least 100 yards from a church, school, park or single family residence, and the number of residents per room cannot exceed two people.

However, the ordinance will allow current operators who have been keeping boarding houses to continue to operate, so long as they meet minimum requirements of fire safety code.

Council member Kenneth Kelley said the ordinance was important to solve problems in Cave Spring.

“This is a strong ordinance that we passed, and I think it will help the situation here in the community some,” Kelley said.

Click here to read a story about a lawsuit involving a Cave Spring boarding house.

The city also announced today that qualifying for council seat elections will run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 and can be done at city hall from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cost to qualify for the election is $45.