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Florissant Delays Vote On AT&T’s Cable TV Plan
BY CAROL ARNETT
The Florissant City Council postponed a vote on allowing AT&T to provide video services in the city. The company would like to provide television service. Charter Communications has opposed allowing AT&T to provide television services. The council rescheduled the vote on the bill regarding AT&T to the Feb. 26 meeting.
The council also held two public hearings. In the first, regarding a subdivision of property located at Raymond Street. The council had previously asked for more information and the property owner provided a letter with the information.
In the second hearing, Uncle Bob’s Self Storage facility, at 450 W. Washington, requested permission to allow two rental trucks on the property. The trucks would be rented to storage customers.
Councilman Keith Schildroth said he had been to the facility. “I saw the two places where the trucks would be parked,” he said. “When the current owners took over at that site, they promised to repave and they have,” he said. “They have been good neighbors and run a good business.”
In other matters, the council heard from Director of Public Works Lou Jearls about repairs needed in the council chambers. The ceiling has problems because the roof leaked. However, the ceiling also has asbestos, making any repairs more expensive.
Jearls also suggested replacing the chairs and repainting the walls at the same time. The current chairs are fixed to the floor. Jearls suggested moveable chairs, so the room could be used in other ways. Jearls said that the repairs were not an emergency, but he wanted the council to be aware of the problem.
Mayor Robert Lowery’s opponent in the April mayoral election came to address the council. Andrew Podleski said he wanted to introduce himself. He was quickly cut off by Councilman Mark Schmidt, who said that “no politicking” was allowed at the council meeting. Podleski said after the meeting that he had wanted to publicly invite Lowery to debate.
City Housing Director Denise Mandle said after the meeting that the city would be hosting a fair housing clinic on Feb. 22. The city is invited real estate agents, lenders, and anyone else involved in the real estate business.
An expert from the John Marshall School of Law will speak at the clinic. “He will talk about the do’s and don’t’s of fair housing,” Mandle said.
Mandle said she would like to focus on predatory lending practices, where lenders encourage homebuyers to take out larger mortgages than they can afford. “We’re seeing a lot of people who can’t afford their homes,” she said, adding that it is a problem nationwide.
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