workshop item #18 for 6/12/06 agenda

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of scenario is probably a reason for the requirement of publishing low and medium sex offender has been struck from the law. In this same scenario, the offender was convicted as an adult and cannot live within 1,000 feet of a area where child gather or play, but under the Family Code his parents have to provide for him until he is at least 18! He will be in violation; will he be required to move? Another scenario to consider: What if a person from another part of the state relocates his business to La Porte to be closer to the port and his business will employ a number of our citizens. The business is established and the person decides to move to La Porte and buys a $200,000 home. He then comes to the Police Department to register as a sex offender of a child of 15 years of age and has been assessed as a low risk violator. When he registers it is determined that the residence is 250 inside a 1,000 foot safety zone, what do we tell him? Another part of the ordinance is a section that both Brazoria and Alvin adopted that addresses the prohibition of property owners from let or rent any place or structure to a person with the knowledge that it will be used as a temporary or permanent residence by a person prohibited from residing within 1,000 feet from where children gather or play. Under the CCP Chapter 62 Sex Offender Registration Program Section 62.056( e): An owner, builder, seller, or lessor of a single-family residential real property or any improvement to residential real property or that person's broker, salesperson, or other agent or representative in a residential real estate transaction does not have a duty to make a disclosure to a prospective buyer or If!ssee about registrants under this chapter. To the extent of any conflict between this subsection and another law imposing a duty to disclose information about registered sex offinders, this subsection controls. This particular section protects a real estate broker or lessor from the necessity of telling a purchaser of any sex offender registrants. In the Brazoria and Alvin ordinances they are holding the land owner, lessor liable under penalty for leasing, renting or selling temporary or permanent residence to a sex offender if that property is within the 1,000 foot rule. This will require a lessor or land owner to determine if a person or a member of the person's family is a sex offender of a child before they can close any deal, or they could be fmed if it is determined that the individual is a adult sex offender of a child. This ordinance is becoming very popular and a number of other cities are considering adopting it. I suspect that it will be a major discussion issue with our citizens when brought before council in a workshop I just want to make sure that we have our eyes open it we choose to take this path. GIS has plotted the 1,000 foot safety zone around all of the areas within the City of La Porte that would establish where a child sex offender may be able to live. This is also attached for your review and you will see that the area available is more limited than imagined. What would the effect be for those who live outside the safety zones when they learn that these particular offenders can only live in their neighborhoods? In drafting this document I realized that in creating the 1,000 foot safety zone I did not consider the school bus stops for GIS to plot. I will endeavor to obtain a location for the school bus stops to add to the current map. I suspect that