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GREENSBORO — The vice chairman of the city’s rental unit advisory board has been fined by Greensboro for violating the rental law the board is tasked to oversee.

Todd Rotruck was fined $200 for renting a property without a city inspection certification, as is required under the law.

The issue drew questions from one fellow board member about whether Rotruck should have recused himself from the board’s decision this month to recommend that the law’s daily fines be reduced.

City Attorney James Dickens determined that Rotruck wasn’t required to recuse himself.

The city requires that a property be certified by a city inspector before it is rented to a tenant.

Landlords had five years to get their properties certified before the law went into effect in January 2009.

The Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy Board advises the city about the ordinance and hears appeals of fines under the law.

Rotruck, first appointed in 2004, represents the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress on the board and acts as chairman when City Councilman Mike Barber is absent. Rotruck’s term expires in 2011.

He said tenants had signed a lease on the property at 204 Wilson St. this summer but had agreed to give him time to fix any issues before they moved in.

But Rotruck was unable to get the issues resolved, in part because of a family emergency.

“It was a logistical thing,” Rotruck said. “RUCO’s not perfect. I’m not perfect. But I am working within the means of the system the way it is set up.”

Rotruck said the tenants complained to the city to help them get out of the lease. One of the tenants said they wanted to leave the home, which is also owned by Ronie Karkenny , because repairs to floors, the kitchen and a bathroom were not finished by the time they moved in.

The rental board this month agreed that daily fines for not fixing up a property should be reduced.

Board member Willena Cannon , who represents the Greensboro Housing Coalition, questioned whether Rotruck should have voted on that issue.

Dickens said it was not a conflict of interest because Rotruck’s fine would not be affected if the City Council adopts the policy change.

The City Council will consider that issue in November.

Cannon also made a motion that Rotruck be removed from the board, but none of the other board members seconded her motion.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com