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Session 1503, Minutes Page 5 September 18, 1989 Mr. Bill R. Hall, 12777 Olive Street Road, I~gislative Director of the Estate Board, asked to address the Council. Be agreed that University city's law had been necessary in the 1960s and early 1970s, but that in 1972 the Real Estate Board instituted a program with the help of the Federal Justice Depart- merit that stc~ped the negative tactics being =~e8 by scme r~ltors. Be re- viewed this pro~z~m, which provides an orientatiDn clsss in civil rights for all board m~mbers, tb~ formation of a grievance cc~l~ittee, which meets anDually a~d receives o~%~laints, and adherence by members to the Code of Fair Housing Practices. He explained in some detail how the grievance process works. He also said there are ongoing efforts to provide continuous education in civil rights to r~altors. He also noted that people other then realtors (such as speculators) can solicit hcmeowners, but licensed realtors are forbidden to do so. He believed that the Board was now providing good oversight of the pro- fessional real estate c~m,unity. He said his group wanted to see University city continue to grow and prosper, and they want to work with the City in de- veloping a program in which they can do business for the benefit of all. Resting to Mrs. ~nc~son, Mr. Hall gave several examples of how a real es- tate agent might accepe~hly approach hc~eowners to see if they are interested in selling, and what homeowners can do if a negative approach is used. He ex- plained that the civil rights class d~nonstrates to agents how they may avoid steering and other undesirable practices. Ms. Mary Dreyer, 7921 Gannon, said she was a real estate agent, and that she did not want to ~ eny changes in the city's real estate solicitation law. ~hat Mr. Hall said was true, she said, but he did not relate what is still bein~ done in University City. She said that agents often still steer people with children away frc~ University City with the insinuation that the schools are mediocre. She pointed out that in most cases such remarks are not made maliciously, but without realizing how much damage is done, and that m~nt the work tb~ Real Estate Board is doing in civil rights is not having enough ef- fect. She again asked the Council not to change the law. Mr. Rich Hake, 7225 Chamberlain, said he was a realtor who had lived in Uni- versity City for 10 years and was proud of the City. He challenged some of F~. Dreyer's statements and said he felt the real estate cu~u~unity was mostly self-policing, and that he had not witnessed eny of the things she described. He felt that r~oving the solicitation prohibition would improve the way the real estate professionals serve the c~,~unity. Mr. Jonathan Me~delson, 1069 Colby, said he too was a real estate professional but in the c~,m~rcial area; however, he grew up in University city and attend- ed its schools. He felt it was time to remove the prohibition on solicitation for r~a]tors, since he believed it served more to handcuff real estate activi- ty here than to help it. l~raoving the bar would allow realtors to do a better job of ~arketing University City, also. He said he would have no problem with applying for a permit to solicit. Ms. Marlene Schneider, 9821 Sundown Sc~e, also a real estate agent, said she owned several businesses in University city and loved the area. She acknow- leged there were agents who may not o~erate within the letter of the law, but felt there were ways of policing ~hem. She pointed out that speculators now