A split St. Paul City Council has repealed tenant protections that were invalidated by a judge, despite housing advocates urging members to continue defending the measure in court.
Council members pledged in a vote Wednesday to work on a scaled-back version of the ordinance, which aimed to help more residents find housing and avoid displacement.
In response to a lawsuit filed by a group of landlords, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in April ordered St. Paul to stop enforcing its policy. He wrote that the measure's limits on landlords' ability to screen tenants and to not renew leases were likely unconstitutional.
The tenant protections, which the council approved unanimously in July 2020, had been in effect for less than two months.
Council Members Amy Brendmoen, Rebecca Noecker, Jane Prince and Chris Tolbert voted to rescind the ordinance. Mitra Jalali, Dai Thao and Nelsie Yang voted to uphold it.
"I believe that our policy is worth fighting for," Jalali said. She said that by repealing the ordinance, the council was "sending a message" that avoiding costly litigation is more important than looking out for vulnerable renters.
Yang echoed those sentiments, adding that a revised set of protections likely still could face legal challenges from landlords.
The four council members who carried the majority said rescinding the ordinance will allow St. Paul to help tenants and renters more quickly.