Housing Ordinance Study Session

[UPDATE: The meeting video is available here with links to jump from the City Staff's report on the issue, public input, and the board's discussion afterward. The News-Gazette had coverage of the Study Session with a concise overview of the result:

Champaign staff ordered to rework housing-code language
It became obvious early on in Tuesday night’s marathon meeting that there were not enough votes to fully repeal the section allowing landlords to take into account a felony conviction received up to five years in the past when deciding whether to rent to a tenant.

The measure wasn’t up for vote, but a straw poll revealed it would have been defeated, 7-2.

So council members have asked city staff to come back in a future study session with two possible changes:

— A reduction in the amount of time landlords can hold felonies against potential tenants, from five years to two.

— A rewording of the language to make its intent more clear.

Members Tom Bruno and Vanna Pianfetti voted not to reduce the time to two years, but the vote on clarifying the language received unanimous support.

After two-plus hours of public comment and about another hour of council comment, it was clear to Mayor Deb Feinen that the language is confusing...

Council members also asked city staff to bring back more information on how the language can disallow a landlord’s consideration of certain drug convictions, and for a deep dive into a recently passed Chicago ordinance that limits criminal history inquiries by landlords.

Full article here with more information and reactions from some of those involved. Preliminary coverage of the meeting from the News-Gazette here. Additional coverage by WILL here.]

Tonight, Tuesday June 25th, the City of Champaign is having a study session on the Human Rights Ordinance exception added in the 90s that allows housing discrimination for some felonies in rental properties. The City Staff put together a report on the issue with information on the exception, the history behind it and the years long efforts to reverse it here. The News-Gazette had coverage previewing the meeting this morning:

Petition asks Champaign council to repeal housing rule on convictions
More than 700 Champaign residents have signed a petition asking city council members to repeal a section of the city code that allows for housing discrimination against people with prior felony convictions.

As it stands now, Chapter 17 of the city code permits "discrimination in the leasing of residential property based upon a person's record of convictions for a forcible felony or a felony drug conviction or the conviction for the sale, manufacture or distribution of illegal drugs" for up to five years after release...

Beyond tonight, council members will ultimately have three options of what to do about the language when the frequently debated topic comes up for vote: amend it, leave it as is or scrap it altogether.

Several community organizations, the council-appointed Human Relations Commission and now about 700 residents are in a favor of the latter. But it appears advocates have more convincing to do before winning the support of the full council.

More information at the full article here, including arguments for and against ending the exemption. Previous news updates on this reentry housing issue on the Cheat Sheet here, with a recent overview of the issue here. More on local data related to racial disparities here.

Update: Additional Coverage

• WILL this morning: Champaign To Consider Changing Housing Policy Advocates Call Discriminatory
• The News-Gazette's Adalberto Toledo had a twitter thread overview of the issue here.

[Updated. Originally posted on 6/25/2019 at 8:20am.]