Mayor withdraws abandoned-properties ordinance; chair to resubmit; wage-theft ordinance scheduled for later September

The Legal Affairs Committee was told Aug. 19 that the mayor has withdrawn a proposed ordinance change regarding abandoned properties and intends to resubmit it at a later date. Chair Rosignal said the mayor's proposal had been pulled from the subcommittee and would be refiled after more information was prepared.

Councilor Turco asked that the wage-theft ordinance be scheduled for the second meeting in September so residents who wanted to speak could do so. "If we could have that at the second meeting in September, then, there's a few people that would like to speak on that so we can move forward with that and get that off, the council's agenda," Turco said. The chair agreed and said the scheduling would accommodate public comment.

Later in the meeting, a procedural motion was made regarding whether to take the withdrawn abandoned-properties item out of committee; the chair stated he had discretion but left it to a vote; the record indicates the motion was offered and the meeting concluded with adjournment.

Next steps: The mayor will resubmit the abandoned-properties ordinance with additional information. The wage-theft ordinance will be placed on the agenda for the second September meeting to allow public testimony.