Laserfiche WebLink
Tim Scott chaired the opening portion of the meeting moving it form the Council Caucus Room <br />to the Chamber to accommodate the public attending the review. <br />For the presentation of the bills, Tim Scott turned to Henry Davis who gave a description of and <br />rationale for each bill. This presentation is summarized in a handout provided to the Council <br />and made public March 15, 2013 (a copy is on file in the Office of the City Clerk) <br />Before asking the public for input Tim Scott asked fellow Councilmembers if they had any <br />questions of the presenter. <br />Karen White asked what Henry expected would happen if the 60 day moratorium were granted. <br />Henry said it would allow time to engage the public, the Council, the Administration and the <br />Vacant & Abandoned Task Force (V & A) to formulate a plan to address the V & A issue. <br />Tim Scott asked who would lead the plan formulation process. Henry said each Councilmember <br />working in their district with neighborhood organizations to find out what the people most <br />closely affected wanted for their neighborhood. <br />Oliver Davis then turned to the audience, first asking those who supported Henry Davis' bills to <br />speak. Eleven people ended up speaking for the bills. The following is a summary of each of <br />their comments. <br />Rey Hernandez was first. He expressed several concerns. He said the current approach <br />emphasizing demolition does not take into account the effect on neighborhoods. He said the <br />approach should be more judicious and involve more people familiar with rehabbing homes. <br />Anthony Scott thought more could be gained by training people in rehab skills. He said it's <br />better to pick up a hammer than a gun. <br />Fran Slaughter said she would like to see more women involved in rehab. She said she was a <br />certified rehabber and wanted to be part of the fix. <br />Glenn Williams supported the notion of needing a better plan. He said there should be more <br />focus on rehabilitation of homes. <br />Linda Wolfson said there needs to be more neighborhood input. More transparency was <br />needed in the process determining whether a home was scheduled for demolition or <br />rehabilitation. Many ancillary issues need analysis. <br />David Stickel also thought a closer look at the potential for rehabilitation was needed. <br />Hardie Blake spoke to issues of trust in the community. He said there were suspicions of <br />hidden agendas in the V & A plan. Was the City really trying to move people out? Dilute the <br />black vote? Turn property over to developers? Gentrification? Incorporate issues of violence <br />