Local Leaders Ask for Rent, Mortgage Suspension

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Nearly two dozen local elected officials are calling on Gov. Tim Walz to suspend rent and mortgage payments and stop commercial property evictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to Walz, the officials say ``mass displacement, home foreclosures, and the shuttering of businesses are imminent unless aggressive measures are taken immediately.''

The officials include a majority of the City Council members in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The governor issued an executive order last month to prevent residential evictions but added that it doesn't relieve a tenant's obligation to pay rent.

Walz has asked the Legislature for an increase to the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program to help people cover rent and mortgage payments, but there's no deal yet.