[StBernard] Council amends rental law

[Westley Annis]

Council amends rental law
St. Bernard removes blood-relative clause 
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
By Karen Turni Bazile

The St. Bernard Parish Council tweaked a controversial rental law that
detractors said was racially discriminatory, but it sidestepped a request to
throw out the whole law. 

After a brief public hearing, the council Tuesday voted 5-1 to remove the
clause in the law that forbids the owners of single-family homes to rent to
anyone not a blood relative without the government's permission, unless the
property was rented before Katrina. 

Under the amended law approved Tuesday, the council must approve all such
rentals. In passing the rental ordinance with the blood relative clause in
September, council members said they wanted to protect home values in the
parish by maintaining neighborhoods with mostly owner-occupied houses. 

 
The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center challenged the law,
asking a federal judge to overturn it. The group said the ordinance
discriminates against nonwhite renters because the parish's prestorm
population was about 93 percent white. 

The amended law passed Tuesday with the support of council members Mark
Madary, Judy Hoffmeister, Kenny Henderson, Joey DiFatta and Craig Taffaro.
Although he voted in favor of the changes at the last meeting, Lynn Dean
voted against the amended law Tuesday because he said it was
unconstitutional. Councilman Tony "Ricky" Melerine was absent. 

Besides voting for the amended version of the rental law because he said it
"was a step in the right direction," Madary unsuccessfully tried to kill the
entire rental ordinance. Discussion was brief, and only Dean voted with
Madary on that proposal. 

The fair housing center's suit said the law in its original form would
virtually exclude nonwhite people from renting in the parish. James Perry,
executive director of the Fair Housing Action Center, couldn't be reached
for comment Tuesday. The parish has not enforced the ordinance and agreed
not to enforce it until some of the legal questions are answered. 

Proponents said the changes were meant to show the parish's intent was not
to discriminate but to protect property values by maintaining owner-occupied
neighborhoods. 

Bill Schmidt, a 45-year resident of Pecan Drive in Chalmette who is living
in his renovated home, said he doesn't want people using houses for rentals
in his longtime owner-occupied neighborhood because there are plenty of
rental properties available. 

"There is no pressing need for rental property," said Schmidt, who spoke at
a hearing before the council's vote. "I hope we don't hear this baloney
about it being about race: The house next to me is for sale. I don't care
who you are. You can be from the planet Mars. You can come buy it because I
know you will take care of it because it will be your property." 

Another speaker, David C. Jarrell of Meraux, said he disagreed with the
measure on several points. 

Jarrell said he wants to rent the house he owns on Legend Drive, but the
rental law creates too many barriers. 

"It's another roadblock to recovery," Jarrell said of the review process
that requires people to go before the parish's Planning Commission and
council for approval. 

. . . . . . . 

Karen Turni Bazile can be reached at kturni at timespicayune.com or (504)
826-3321.