The snowflakes came down fast, Council President Brad Winter talked even faster, and city councilors cleared the Feb. 4 agenda in two hours, including maximum yak time from the usual clutch of public speakers. Councilor Sally Mayer was excused. Councilor Debbie O’Malley secured approval for the necessary loans and contracts to move forward on workforce housing for the Sawmill Community Land Trust. Another O’Malley bill mandating an 18-month notification before mobile home park owners evict tenants passed unanimously. The bill resulted from the long fight to save the homes of the more stubborn Del Rey Mobile Home Park residents, who resisted owners’ efforts to get rid of them by basically wrecking the park’s amenities, clearing the way for high-priced homes. As ominous weather reports came in from APD, Councilor Isaac Benton deferred his bill calling on the city to stop spending money on throwaway plastic bottles of water for city employees. Benton said, "I have a very short drive home, but others don’t."
Council Watch
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