Title
Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 663 LINCOLN AVENUE. (File No. CG2002A1, Assessment No. 200123)
Hearing Date(s)
Date of LH: 7/9/2020
Time of LH: 9:00:00 AM
Date of CPH: 8/27/2020
Tax Assessment Worksheet
Postcard Returned by: Theresa Tichich
Cost: $413.17
Hauling Service(s) Provided: Garbage service and fees; Jan-Mar 2020
Type of Order/Fee: Trash Hauling
Billing Time Period: 1st Quarter of 2020 (January 1 - March 31)
Invoice Date(s): January 1 - March 31
Garbage Hauler: WM
Returned Mail/Notice Concerns?:
Stated Reason for Appeal (if given): Theresa is the sibling of the deceased property owner, Mary Tichich, and is handling her affairs. Theresa received a notice from the city for Quarter 1 garbage service in the amount of $413.17. She stated that she made a payment to Waste Management on 1/17/20 in the amount of $279.81. When the she called Waste Management after receiving notice from the city to confirm this payment, the customer service representative was told that her 1/17/20 payment was applied to the Quarter 4 2019 garbage billing. If the Quarter 4 garbage service was owed at the end of Quarter 4, the amount would have been referred to the city for collection. There is currently no record of this amount in the city records for owed garbage service amounts for Quarter 4 2019. She also stated that she requested walk up service and sent in the form, but was given the incorrect address information twice as to where to send the walk up request form to.
Staff Comments: Hauler confirmed that the last payment they received was for $243.32 for Quarter 3 2019 billing. The property owner did call Waste Management on February 10, 2020 about their Quarter 1 2020 assessment. However, the customer service representative mistakenly thought that Quarter 4 2019 delinquent amount of $279.81 that was sent to the City of Saint Paul was a payment made by the property owner. The hauler did check their payment records and confirmed that they never received the check that the property owner sent on 01/17/2020. This is because it was sent to the city assessments office to pay the Quarter 4 2019 assessment of $279.81. Staff also noticed that the Quarter 1 2020 assessment amount of $413.17 is higher than normal. This assessment consists of a base service level cost of $269.16 for four 35-gal carts with weekly pick up instead of every other week pick up that was the service level for the previous quarter. Because this change was requested in November 2019, the difference in service level costs of $17.44 ($24.02 with taxes) for the two months was added to the Quarter 1 2020 bill. This was in addition to the $48 ($66.12 with taxes) in additional bag costs and three late fees of $17.96 ($53.88 in total). As a courtesy, staff recommends removing the late fees of $53.88 and reducing the assessment to $359.29. Waste Management currently looking into the issue with the walk-up request.
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 services during January to March 2020. (File No. CG2002A1, Assessment No. 200120) 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 reduced from $413.17 to $359.29.