| 2/2/2021 |
Clark County Board of Commissioners
| Discussed as Recommended
Agenda note: DISCUSSION: Commissioner Tick Segerblom advised that a tenants right to a government provided lawyer had become prominent in many major cities; advised that the addition of legal representation for evictees would slow down the eviction process based on legislation currently in place; and expressed support of the matter and requested that an ordinance be proposed on a future agenda.
Discussion then took place between the Board regarding the matter, which included comparisons of the number of evictions prior to and since COVID; a summarization of the eviction process; that the eviction process was based on state statutes; concerns regarding the timing of when the right to counsel would occur in the eviction process for tenants; the impacts and risks for mortgage holders; consequences for renters and owners; options to provide a more holistic approach to the problem; increased activity on court calendars and the costs associated with support of the increased caseload; the feasibility of having an attorney present and available in the courtroom on days when evictions were heard; the need to preserve and ensure a reasonable quality of life; concerns regarding whether direct payments made to landlords were being managed appropriately; the potential of the funding safety net currently in place becoming overburdened; challenges created by self-help legal centers that had not been allowed to remain open; and the importance of a report to be presented to the Board from staff regarding data collection, the review of mediation contracts, and details on funding issued to Legal Aid and other entities and stakeholders.
Staff responded to the Board and supported a review of contracts and funding with Legal Aid and court mediation programs; expressed concerns related to the timeframe involved from tenant notice to court involvement; and advised that data related to funding, contracts, and the red flags that exist in the system could be presented to the Board following the weekly call with members of the mediation program, the Governor and stakeholders.
Commissioner Kirkpatrick directed staff to collect and review all data from stakeholders, contracts and funding options both residential and commercial, and provide an update to the Board to identify and confirm available assets prior to the creation of an ordinance. | |
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