2003-10-20 Regular - Laserfiche WebLink

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Session 1899 October 20, 2003 CITIZEN COMMENTS: Loretta Bryant, 7863 Milan Avenue, asked what guidelines exist for property owners of Section Eight tenants. She said that Section Eight housing is negatively affecting her neighborhood. She asked what ordinances were available to enforce the tenants and property owners to maintain these properties per city standards. Someone is dropping children off there who are taken to school by someone in a Section Eight building in her area. It is becoming a big problem and needs to be stopped. Mr. Ollendorff encouraged Ms. Bryant to come to his office to discuss her problem further, and he advised her that the decision relating to Section Eight is made by the Housing Authorities of the City and the County of St. Louis, not by the City of University City. He offered to provide the information she needed to access help for her problem. Then Mayor Adams reiterated the procedure for obtaining housing through Section Eight, advising that University City has not been involved in the process for about twenty-five years nor has it had authority over Section Eight participants. Ms. Colquitt asked Ms. Bryant to give to Mr. Ollendorff the names and addresses of places where children were dropped off for school, and she commented upon the need to stop landlords in the Third Ward from adding names of occupants such as girlfriends with children as tenants in their buildings. Ms. Welsch asked that Mr. Ollendorff make available to her any information he gives to Ms. Bryant, because she would also like to know more about Section Eight housing. Mr. Sharpe asked Mr. Ollendorff if there was a number of Section Eight houses allowed in a given area. Mr. Ollendorff reported that efforts were made twenty years ago to endorse such a policy, due to the enormous impact of subsidized housing on University City. Mayor Adams added that University City tried to convince the County that Section Eight Housing should be spread throughout the region and not isolated to one community only. Mr. Munkel asked if people in Section Eight housing were subject to University City's housing code, and if so, perhaps they are subject to the City's nuisance statutes. Mr. Ollendorff said some issues can be dealt with under existing code because these people are residents of University City, but the City cannot set up special rules for one category of renters. Mr. Munkel then asked Mr. Ollendorff to review the code for enforcing problems and advise Council of his findings. Ralph O. Bowser, 8050 Teasdale Avenue, President of the Historical Society of University City, thanked the City Council and the City administration for saving the oldest stone house in the City, 6826 Chamberlain Court - the Sutter-Meyer House. BILLS FOR SECOND AND THIRD READINGS BILL NO. 8679 - APPROVING A CONTRACT TO PURCHASE 6826 CHAMBERLAIN COURT BY THE CITY, AND AUTHORIZING THE Page 6