A recent report discusses the New Orleans City
Council passing an ordinance establishing Aug. 29, 2006, as a
deadline to repair and secure damaged properties.
Concerned that thousands of residents are
doing nothing to fix up their flooded homes, the New Orleans City
Council voted Thursday to set Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina's first
anniversary, as the deadline for people to clean, gut, and board up
their homes, or risk having the city seize and demolish them.
The ordinance, approved 7-0, says "every owner of a
dwelling or dwelling unit shall be responsible for mold
remediation, cleaning, gutting, and properly securing the premises
of all properties" damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita "in a
manner so as to render the premises environmentally sound and not
open to the public."
The owner "shall take appropriate measures to
complete this work as soon as possible, but no later than Aug. 29,
2006," the measure says.
If an owner does not take action, the building will
be declared a public nuisance "and shall be abated by repair,
rehabilitation, demolition, or removal," the ordinance says.
"It's not fair to others to let these houses
languish," Batt said. "No neighborhood is going to be worth a
doggone" with hurricane-blighted houses in its midst.
It's also important for owners to gut, remediate, and
board up their homes as soon as possible to protect the property's
value, he said.
To help homeowners who need financial assistance to
remediate their property, Batt said a Web site will be set up
listing nonprofit organizations that can work with them.
Councilwoman Renee Gill Pratt said many homeowners
want to return to New Orleans, but have yet to receive insurance
settlements or other needed aid. At her suggestion, Batt's
ordinance was amended to provide a process for reviewing hardship
cases.
Chief Deputy City Attorney Evelyn Pugh said that when
a notice is sent out telling an owner that his property is being
considered for designation as a public nuisance, information on the
review process will be included.
Batt's proposal was supported by Kenneth Cowie,
president of the Venetian Isles Civic and Improvement Association,
but was denounced by activist Babatunji Ahmed, a regular at council
meetings.
Saying the measure was directed primarily against
black residents, Ahmed said it reminded him of the way former
Confederate leaders seized power again in Southern states at the
end of Reconstruction after the Civil War. "The rebels are
rearming," he warned.
Batt said the measure would apply equally in black
and white neighborhoods, whether in Lakeview, Gentilly, or the 9th
Ward.
Mayor Ray Nagin did not respond immediately to an
e-mail message asking whether he will sign or veto the ordinance.
If Nagin does veto the ordinance, the council likely would have the
five votes needed to overturn it because the measure was approved
unanimously.
To view the online article please click on the
follwoing link.
New Orleans Repair Deadline
