Title
Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1562 GOODRICH AVENUE. (File No. CG2003A1, Assessment No. 200139)
Hearing Date(s)
Date of LH: 10/8/2020
Time of LH: 9:00 AM
Date of CPH: 11/18/2020
Tax Assessment Worksheet
Postcard Returned by: Kathleen Deming
Cost: $66.17
Hauling Service(s) Provided: Delinquent Garbage Bill Q2 2020; Service Provided April to June 2020;small EOW with late fees
Type of Order/Fee: Trash Hauling
Billing Time Period: 2nd Quarter of 2020 (April 1 - June 30)
Invoice Date(s): April 1 - June 30
Garbage Hauler: WM
Returned Mail/Notice Concerns?:
Stated Reason for Appeal (if given): I am living on Social Security. Before the trash collections ever began, I returned to you my unwanted trash bin because technically it belongs to you the City since you bought and paid for it instead of allowing the trash haulers and I to make our own choices and for them to provide a bin at their expense, which is a legitimate business expense. So, you don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground, quite frankly. I generate approximately by measure 3 to 5 gallons of trash a month for which I am not paying 19 dollars and some odd sense. I don’t have it. I’m living on social security. If you want to pay it, somebody on the Council can pay it for me. I’m planning to be here a long time. I’m still sharing with the neighbors. I have for 12 years. You’re going to have to make accommodations for some of us old, retired people that don’t have much, don’t buy much, don’t have much income, don’t make much trash, and don’t want the crappy service where our money is sent all the way out-of-state to Arizona to a company which I have long associated for being affiliated with the mob. So, those are my comments. Thank you for listening. And by the way, I was never given a proper credit for the 6 months I was away last year. I have pre-notified the trash company again so that they will not be billing me for something I’m doubly not using. And nobody seems to be responsible for anything so I’m not getting anything done.
Staff Comments: Under citywide garbage service, all residential properties with up to four units, including rental homes and town homes, are required to have garbage service under the city contract. There is no option to opt out of the city garbage service. The property owner is currently at the lowest level of service and is being charged $57.60 per quarter for a small 35-gal cart with every other week service. This is the current rate for any property owner who refuses trash pickup service. In addition, we were able to confirm with the hauler that the property owner was properly credited for the time period that she was on vacation. Hauler records state that they received notice on 06/18/2020 that the property owner had been on vacation. This was due to the property owner sending a past due notice to the Waste Management Phoenix Service Center that included a note stating that they had been on vacation from 11/19/2019 - 5/19/2020. The property owner stated in the note that she had notified the hauler in November of this but there is no record of contact from the property owner during this time. In addition, neither the city nor the hauler has record of an Unoccupied Dwelling Registration Form or a Temporary Service hold being submitted for the property. Based on this, the billing manager instructed a Customer Service Representative to call the property owner and inform them that they would give her credit for the vacation hold from 1/01/2020 - 5/19/2020. The staff confirmed that the account had been credited a total of $100.71. The hauler removed the total invoiced amount of $66.17 from the Q1 2020 invoice and removed a total of $37.41 from the Q2 2020 invoice to account for the time period of 04/01/2020 - 05/19/2020. Therefore, staff recommends approving the assessment in full. Staff would also like to note that in the future the property owner will be required to submit either a temporary service hold or unoccupied dwelling registration form to the correct location in order to have it registered. WM will not accept a note written on her invoice. Staff will gladly provide the resident copies of the hold forms.
Body
WHEREAS, the Office of Financial Services Real Estate Section has attached to this Council File both a report of completion outlining the costs and fees associated with Collection of Delinquent Garbage Bills for service during April to June 2020. (File No. CG2003A1, Assessment No. 200139) and the assessment roll including all properties for which these assessments are proposed for Council ratification; and
WHEREAS, the City Council’s Legislative Hearing Officer has reviewed an appeal of this assessment and developed a recommendation for the City Council with respect to this assessment; and
WHEREAS, a public hearing having been conducted for the above improvement, and said assessment having been further considered by the Council and having been considered financially satisfactory; Now, Therefore, Be It
RESOLVED, that pursuant to Chapter 14 of the Saint Paul City Charter, said assessment is hereby ratified and payable in one installment.