PROJECT 504 AND OTHERS DECRY LEAD FUNDING ELIMINATION City Begins Preliminary Plans to Condemn Hazardous Units
JANUARY 16, 2003 - MINNEAPOLIS. Project 504 and a growing number of community members are demanding that the Minneapolis City Council reinstate a revenue generating program that would have protected children from lead-based paint hazards while providing financial assistance to landlords in getting rid of those hazards. The elimination of the program--which came in December at the last minute request of Council Member Barbara Johnson--has garnered attention from national advocates and has prompted city officials to begin preliminary plans to condemn dozens of properties that currently house low-income tenants. Ironically, city money allocated for lead hazard control typically prompts federal and state agencies to match the funds, ultimately generating an average of $1 million each year for the City. The City Council's elimination of the new proposal--on top of already deep department budget cuts-- may now wipe out matching funds and spell the end of lead hazard control activities in a city that currently has a national reputation for its response to lead-poisoned children. With the support of Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak, the Children's Environmental Health Department proposed a program last year to charge a $3.00 per unit licensing fee for any properties built before 1978 that were not already certified as lead-safe or lead-free. The city estimates that there are more than 60,000 such properties in the city currently and that the program would generate $180,000 in revenue to pay for the department's work. "Minneapolis has in the past been at the forefront in addressing lead-based paint hazards," said Eileen Quinn, Deputy Director of the Washington D.C. based Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning. "But this action puts children at risk while pampering property owners, despite the proven effectiveness of the city's lead hazard control program." At the last minute, Council Member Barbara Johnson, considered an advocate for landlords and who represents the northernmost portions of North Minneapolis, moved to eliminate the program from budget considerations. Despite vocal opposition from Second Ward Council Member Paul Zerby, Johnson's effort ultimately prevailed 8 to 4, with Council Members Dean Zimmermann, Gary Schiff, and Scott Benson voting to reinstate the the program. In a letter to Council Members, Project 504 and community members have asked that the program be reinstated. "We have worked for years to avoid the double victimization of lead-poisoned children, who are first poisoned, then evicted," the letter reads. "We cannot accept a step backward to an approach that city leaders rejected years ago." Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed, a board member of Project 504 and a local Somali physician experienced with treating children with lead poisoning, says the decision reflects "a trend in today's hostile environment against those who cannot speak for themselves. They are the last to receive assistance, and the first to lose it." # # # Posted by Gregory Luce Project 504/Minneapolis _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
