Council hears amendments to blighted-and-vacant-structures ordinance; Realtor Association voices support

The Shreveport City Council on Tuesday considered amendments to Chapter 38 of the city code that target blighted and vacant structures and would modify notice procedures and some timelines while retaining registration and inspection requirements.

The amendments would change notice by first-class mail to certified mail and expand a previously 15-day period to 30 days, according to materials discussed at the meeting. City staff said the changes are modest edits intended to make enforcement more workable while preserving the ordinance’s core registration and inspection provisions.

The amendments were presented during the regular agenda for ordinances on second reading and final passage. City staff described the changes as largely technical, responding to comments made after the ordinance was first introduced and before it was tabled. A staff member asked the council to vote in favor of the amendment.

Scott Hughes, identified at the meeting as CEO of the local Realtor Association, spoke during public comment in support of the updated ordinance. “We supported the original ordinance,” Hughes said, and said the amendments “put the ordinance in a better standing, more specifically, a standing we think is enforceable and better for you.” He thanked the council for allowing input from commercial realtors and downtown property owners and said the association worked with Marcus Edwards, the city’s attorney, on the changes; he also said the association’s counsel, Jerry Jones, had reviewed the proposal.

Council members and staff noted the amendments chiefly address timing and notice mechanics and that the registration and inspection requirements remain in place. City staff referenced a marked copy of the ordinance and a summary memorandum prepared by the city attorney’s office as the bases for the changes.

The ordinance (referred to in the meeting as item 58) remained on the agenda for second reading and final passage; specific vote results were not recorded in the transcript of this session.

If adopted, the changes would alter how the city notifies property owners and adjust some enforcement timetables; city staff said the goal is clearer, more enforceable procedures without removing the ordinance’s enforcement tools.