Final vote expected on St. Paul tenant protection ordinance at council meeting

The St. Paul City Council could take a final vote Wednesday on its proposed tenant protection proposals.

The proposed ordinance would limit security deposits to one month’s rent and would limit how much landlords can use credit history and criminal records to screen tenants.

The ordinance would also ban landlords from requiring prospective tenants from proving monthly income 2.5 times the price of rent if the applicant has a proven history of paying rent on time while having income lower than 2.5 times the rent.

Also on the agenda is a contract with the electric scooter company Lime. If approved, up to 500 scooters will be back in the city by the end of the week.

Amid COVID-19 concerns, a new amendment to the contract would require Lime to take "commercially reasonable measures" to disinfect all scooters.

The contract also requires Lime to distribute at least 30% of all scooters in Areas of Concentrated Poverty where 50% or more of the residents are people of color. The Metropolitan Council defines those areas as "census tracts where 40% or more of the residents live with incomes below 185% of the federal poverty threshold."