My, how fast things change! Nine days ago I wrote about a bad piece of legislation St Louis Councilman Michael O’Mara had proposed with regard to the licensing of landlords and then, two days later, updated the article with the good news that the bill was voted down. Well, in a last minute move, reportedly just minutes before the 6:00 pm start time of the council meeting last night, Representative Michael O’Mara, according to an article in STLTODAY this morning, “seized on a procedural loophole to return the issue to the council agenda.”
While the bill that was introduced last night, Substitute Bill No. 3 for Bill no 204, was slightly different than the bill proposed the last time, it’s still littered with issues that affect private property rights of individuals and should concern everyone, not just the landlords and tenants that are the largest of this legislation.
“I thought it was a travesty of government.”
According to the STLTODAY article, St Louis County Councilman Mark Harder (and real estate broker) said “I thought it was a travesty of government. This bill was brought to us moments before we walked on the dais tonight, and that is not the way you handle a transparent government…We were steamrolled.”
THERE IS STILL TIME TO STOP THIS! The St Louis County Council will take the final vote on this bill on October 20th, so you still have time to be heard! If would like to voice your opinion on this bill, I would suggest contacting the bills sponsor, St Louis County Councilman Michael O’Mara as soon as possible. You can contact him through the St Louis County Council website here or you can email him at MOmara@stlouisco.com or call him at 314.615.5439.
