The list of banned businesses in Gretna continues to grow, after the Gretna City Council agreed to establish a moratorium last week on new bail bonds businesses and secondhand stores. The council voted unanimously to authorize the moratorium at the request of Councilwoman Belinda Constant. Although the proposed moratorium was not listed on the council agenda, Constant asked for the...
The list of banned businesses in Gretna continues to grow, after the Gretna City Council agreed to establish a moratorium last week on new bail bonds businesses and secondhand stores.
The council voted unanimously to authorize the moratorium at the request of Councilwoman Belinda Constant. Although the proposed moratorium was not listed on the council agenda, Constant asked for the ban as an accompaniment to the existing bans on new bars, convenience stores and short-term loan stores. No timeframe for the moratorium was specified, but typically the bans can last from six months to a year.
Councilwoman Raylyn Beevers is working on an ordinance that would establish new guidelines for bars, convenience stores and short-term loan stores, and will now add bail bonds businesses and pawn shops to that list.
Discussion of the new moratoriums was limited, although Mayor Ronnie Harris did ask City Attorney Mark Morgan whether passing a resolution introduced at the meeting satisfied the city's rules about public notice for moratoriums. After initially stating that the council needed to pass the moratorium as an ordinance, Morgan later said a resolution would suffice.
The city's moratoriums on convenience stores and short-term loan stores were passed as ordinances this fall. Because they were ordinances, the public had a 30-day notice before the bans were approved.
However, the ban on bars was passed with no prior notice right before the city considered a request by an applicant for a new bar.