KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — City leaders are asking for public input into a proposed housing ordinance that would add new categories of discrimination.
At a city meeting last month, commissioners discussed the update to Chapter 18 of the Kalamazoo Code of Ordinances, which addresses Community Relations and Discrimination.
City Attorney Clyde Robinson says minorities, the LGBTQ community, the disabled, and most others are already protected by the ordinance, but the amendment would add new categories.
According to city documents, changes proposed would include new protections for people using housing vouchers or county identification cards, as well as those who have previously been incarcerated.
Other changes in the proposal would limited rental housing application fees to actual costs. A civil rights board would be established to review contested cases of discrimination thought to violate the ordinance.
All community members are encouraged to attend these meetings to share their thoughts.
To begin with, meetings will be held on the evenings of March 11 and 12:
- Wednesday, March 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, 241 W South Street.
- Thursday, March 12 from 4-5:30 p.m. at Washington Square Library, 1244 Portage Street.
Public input meetings are also scheduled for earlier in the afternoon on both days. These meetings will be held at the Community Planning & Economic Development offices, which is located at 245 N Rose Street:
- Wednesday, March 11 from 1-3 p.m.
- Thursday, March 12 from 1-3 p.m.
According to the city, this proposal is a collaboration between several community partners including the Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community (ISAAC), and Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Kalamazoo.
If this ordinance update were approved, it would be the first major revision since 2009, at which point gender identity and sexual orientation were added as local protections.
The full proposal can be read online here.
