Bell City Manager: relocation plan update; residents plead for protections

The City of Bell received a detailed staff briefing and dozens of public comments Wednesday on the potential relocation process for two city‑owned mobile‑home parks, with community members urging the council to protect long‑term residents and staff outlining statutory steps and estimated benefits.

City Manager Michael Antoine told the council that the city is updating an earlier impact report and that ‘‘the relocation plan has not been approved’’ and ‘‘there is no approval date for the relocation plan.’’ He described outreach work that began in September 2025, said approximately 164 residents completed interviews and 117 inspections were performed, and emphasized that the report-gathering process is voluntary.

The presentation focused on the legal and financial contours of the mobile‑home residency law. Antoine said the law requires payment of a coach‑differential for owners and specified other assistance: ‘‘By law, the city is required to pay 42 months of rent differential or rent assistance,’’ he said, describing that as ‘‘3 and a half years of rental assistance’’ and noting examples used to illustrate how the differential would be calculated. Antoine also described preliminary appraisals and benefit estimates he said are required by state law: owner‑occupants could be eligible for appraised‑value differentials (the staff presentation stated estimates of up to about $250,000 for some owner‑coach calculations) and non‑owner tenants could be eligible for relocation assistance (the presentation cited an estimated figure of up to about $40,000). Antoine repeatedly underscored that these are statutory calculations tied to appraisal results and that the city cannot distribute benefits until legal steps in the process occur.

Public commenters framed the discussion as urgent. Brooke Irvin, a community organizer with MH Action, described the parks as ‘‘home’’ and warned that redevelopment ‘‘would displace hundreds of residents, seniors on fixed incomes, working families, and children who attend Bell Schools.’’ Dozens of other residents and advocates told council members they are scared by recent ICE activity in the region and by what they said are mixed or contradictory statements from staff about how and when relocation or sale decisions would proceed. Several speakers pressed for accessible town halls, translated materials and clearer timelines.

Staff also provided financial context: Antoine said the city had not raised space rents in more than 15 years and cited an average current space rent of about $600 per month; he also reported that the city is owed roughly $497,000 in back rent through the housing authority as of December 2025 and that parks operate with structural maintenance deficits.

Antoine said the city will continue outreach and appraisals and reiterated that ‘‘approval of a plan does not mean that there is an eviction’’ and that a separate council action would be required to close a park and issue a six‑month notice to vacate. He urged residents to participate in interviews and appraisals so eligible households can receive the maximum financial assistance under state law.

Council members asked clarifying questions about participation rates, lease status and timing; staff said appraisals for Bell Mobile had been completed but Florence appraisals were not yet finished, and that a significant share of residents lacked a formal lease but may establish tenancy through other documentation to qualify for benefits.

The council did not take any closure votes at the meeting; staff said any closure, sale or notice to vacate would be the subject of future, separate council action.