Details Meeting Name: City Council Agenda status: Final Meeting date/time: 7/24/2019 2:00 PM Minutes status: Final   Meeting location: 310W Conference Room, City Hall Closed Door session to discuss pending litigation in Bruce Clark, et al v. City of Saint Paul and 2020 budget implications. This meeting will immediately follow the Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting. Published agenda: Agenda Published minutes: Minutes   Meeting video: Not available   Attachments: Meeting Items (0) Public Comments (15) 0 records Show: Legislation only Legislation only All agenda items File # Ver. Agenda # Type Title Action Result Action Details Video No records to display.  Add New Comment 15 records Group Clear sorting Clear grouping Group by File # Group by Name Group by District Group by Opinion Export Export to Excel Export to PDF Export to Word File # Date  Name District Opinion Comment Action 7/25/2019 3:28 PM Linda Ruecker   For I have Republic as my new hauler and I'm very pleased with my service, and it's costing me less now that I have the option of an every-other-week pickup. I love not having so many trucks rumbling through the neighborhood, and I think it's a generally a good development. That said, I've heard from a number of my neighbors who have issues, particularly those who have residences that are cl***ified as duplexes, and have to have two containers even though the other unit is vacant, or they are not using the residence as a duplex. I'd like to see some common sense changes in the system so that I can wholeheartedly support it if there is a vote. 7/25/2019 5:53 AM Miranda Hatfield     For many years before the change to the closed market system, I was a customer of Republic Services without issue. Upon transition to the closed market, I retained Republic as my hauler. I was initially thrilled - until the first bill was issued to me under a new account number and only in my husband’s name per the direction of the City of St Paul, sexism at its best. My new account billing period overlapped my old account billing period and I was double charged. I attempted to get help from the City on multiple occasions, as well as sort the billing issue out with Republic personally. Neither avenue yielded success until I filed a formal complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. Every subsequent invoice that I have received since October 2018 has had some sort of billing discrepancy on it, most recently being the “misc/other” $35 fee applied to multiple St Paul households without explanation or cause. Please fix the billing or open the market so I can get better service. 7/25/2019 12:44 AM Lorenzo Lopez   Against I signed the petition so the people of St. Paul would have a choice to vote this up or down. The city council tried to do an end around and take are vote away from us. The court ruled in our favor. Yet you still fight us and waist tax payers money. I want 3 choices. 1. shared trash cans. 2. opt out. 3. negotiated my own price. when all this happened I brought my 2 bag of garbage to the dump and that cost me 8 dollars. I compost. I use the recycling bin. I don't generate alot of trash. Yet now I pay $60 every 3 months with bimonthly pick up. Why should I recycle? no incentive just throw the paper in the trash so I get my moneys worth. I want my vote to opt out of this mess you made. Thank you, Lorenzo Lopez 7/24/2019 10:43 PM MHays   Against This whole trash mess has become like having a part time job without pay. Calling for pick up that never happened, incorrect billing, having to go through paperwork and taking pictures of my trash weekly! Just do the right thing and admit to the mess you have made! Once that is done, the clean up can begin! +1 7/24/2019 6:38 PM Richelle Schenfeld   Against I am opposed to the current Trash Policy. I own multi-unit buildings and am paying over double what I used to for less garbage capacity. I have carts I have never used but are billed for. Every bill I have received has been incorrect and I have spent hours on the phone trying to straighten them out. I also do not have enough space to put all the extra carts. My tenants recycle and compost most of their waste and should be rewarded for that, not billed more. Also trucks idle longer while dumping more carts. +1 7/24/2019 6:37 PM Ellen Schneider     There personally was no gain in this decision. My costs went up, service is less and it does not support local business owner/small business owner in my community. The truck that services my street often will leave the garbage can far into the street. Yesterday - it was out ****her than the width of my car which I am certain no drivers appreciated navigating around until I got home to move it. +2 7/24/2019 5:31 PM Connor Davis     I am extremely disappointed in how the council has handled both the creation of this trash program, which due to poor management is more expensive than similar programs in other cities, and offers far too little flexibility for the wide range of living situations and lifestyles in our city. I am even more disappointed in the anti-democratic way that the council has attempted to side-step the city charter on this issue and the misinformation it has dispersed. The contract has a Force Majuere clause that could be activated. even if it didn't, this program would do better under the general budget where the expense for it can be dispersed across the city in a more progressive manner. If anything is costing the citizens it is the expensive appeals and legal fight that the city is putting up seeking the right to violate its own charter. +1 7/24/2019 3:34 PM Doc   Against Why are you meeting in secret about a public program failure? Why do you continue to waste tax payers money on something you should have put to a vote in the first place? The entire city council should be ashamed of themselves. We the people demand a government that works for us, not against us. +2 7/24/2019 1:12 PM Alisa Lein     It would be in the best interest of the City elected officials to immediately make changes to the trash program so it is fair for ALL residents before a referendum vote. Allow opt out. Allow multifamily to share. Allow dumpsters. +6 7/24/2019 11:51 AM Mary Williams   Against I hope your closed/secret meeting contains an agenda item on "How to make things right for the citizens of St. Paul with regard to the trash fiasco". Whatever happened to government of the people, for the people, BY the people ? Instead of doing something to reward folks for being good servants of the land and recycling and limiting waste, you're nearly encouraging it by penalizing those of us "zero wasters" with higher prices and cluttering alleys and streets with carts that are unnecessary and unused. Pay attention to those who elected you ! +4 7/24/2019 8:17 AM Josh Boyer   Against Publicizing a private industry removes competition and causes poor service. It also removes my ability to negotiate a good price for the services I would like to receive. I sympathize with my neighbors who are on a fixed income and share a can with others. I sympathize with those who are renting out space to unoccupied homes that are being charged for services that are not being used. I have not given any attention to voting in city counsel races however, I can confidently say that I will vote against those of you who are in favor of not putting this topic on a ballot. Let the majority of St.Paul citizens decide on how they would like their trash services done since they are the ones who are paying for it. +4 7/24/2019 1:15 AM Johnathan Taylor   Against Let voters decide! +4 7/23/2019 10:15 PM Andrea D. Suchy-Shinn   For Please give me a choice and let me vote. I've been over charged, incorrect invoices, rude customer service, missed pick ups and I have no recourse but to accept the providers the city is making me use. Give me my voice back. +8 7/23/2019 6:24 PM Bruce Clark   For ***uming the referendum question is upheld by the MN Supreme Court on Aug. 20th, I hope the St. Paul Council and city staff will use the time in their third secret session on this matter to formulate a CLEAR AND FAIR referendum question to be QUICKLY offered to Ramsey County Elections in time for the Aug. 23rd deadline for printing the Fall election ballots. No stalling. No gamesmanship. No shenanigans. Do it! +11 7/22/2019 10:09 PM CIty Charter Sec. 11.03. - Property tax authority     The city may levy annually on each dollar of ***essed valuation of taxable property in the city the following taxes: (1) A tax for general city purposes.... +4 -2