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Regular City Council Meeting <br />Monday, August 11, 2008 <br />Page 4 <br />ing, and that it was held in her apartment. Ms. Thomas further advised that two <br />weeks after that meeting, she received an eviction notice, with no reason given. <br />Ms. Thomas expressed she was concerned about obtaining other affordable hous- <br />ing, in addition to concerns about the future of her and her husband's employ- <br />ment. <br />Ms. Thomas opined that it was her understanding that certain residents were go- <br />ing to remain, and that some of those residents had been asked to provide verifica- <br />tion of their income eligibility, but that her family had not been asked to do so. <br />Ms. Thomas further noted that many of the amenities previously available were <br />no longer available to residents, or even accessible, whether due to construction or <br />due to management decisions. Ms. Thomas advised that there had been no re- <br />modeling in their apartment during their 11 years of residence, and that she had <br />been under the impression that there would be no rent increases until the remodel- <br />ing had been completed, and those benefits realized by residents. Ms. Thomas <br />advised that her child's bedroom had mold, which had been repeatedly reported to <br />management; and further advised'that she had been experiencing personal and se- <br />vere health issues and had been out of work since June, and this was just one <br />more stress point to deal with. Ms. Thomas noted that just the term "eviction" <br />had negative connotations, and allowed people to make the assumption that they <br />had done something to cause their eviction. Mr. Thomas advised that everyone <br />on their floor had received eviction notices. <br />Mayor Klausing expressed his sympathies to Ms. Thomas, and clarified that the <br />City Council is not involved with rental agreements or financing, and asked that <br />the City's code enforcement staff follow up regarding specific physical issues <br />with the facility. <br />Ms. Thomas opined that residents were being evicted for something for which the <br />developer was receiving tax credits; and that the project was not proving to serve <br />a public purpose. <br />Councilmember Ihlan opined the need for the City Council to follow up on their <br />intent to discuss this further on a future Council agenda; and questioned whether <br />it was possible for the City to get additional information from the property own- <br />ers. Councilmember Ihlan further opined that, in the City Council's approval of <br />tax exempt bonds, the circumstances brought forward tonight were troubling; and <br />expressed her confusion as to why rent was increasing and why residents were be- <br />ing evicted from the property; and sought additional information from the prop- <br />erty owner on that aspect. <br />d. Anonymous Female Speaker, Resident of Centennial Commons Apartments <br />The speaker opined that a number of residents have had concerns and complaints; <br />and that many had moved out, including several who had become homeless. The <br />speaker indicated that many who had attempted to express their concerns to vari- <br />