15 West Kellogg Blvd.

Saint Paul, MN 55102

City of Saint Paul

Minutes - Final

Legislative Hearings

Marcia Moermond, Legislative Hearing Officer

Mai Vang, Hearing Coordinator

Joanna Zimny, Executive Assistant

legislativehearings@ci.stpaul.mn.us

651-266-8585

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

9:00 AM

Room 330 City Hall & Court House/Remote

9:00 a.m. Hearings

Remove/Repair Orders

RLH RR 25-23

Ordering the rehabilitation or razing and removal of the structures at 670

SIMS AVENUE within fifteen (15) days after the September 17, 2025,

City Council Public Hearing.

Yang

Sponsors:

Layover to LH August 26, 2025 at 9 am for further discussion.

Kristina Kaluza, attorney o/b/o PHH, observed, hearing was conducted at 9 am, and

left

at 9:36 am:

Ximena Correno, daughter of owner, appeared

Linda Carreno, owner, appeared

Moermond: Personal service July 13 Linda Correno, and also for PHH and Altisource.

No one signed for the other two notices. This is in addition to placarding.

Staff report by Supervisor James Hoffman: The building is a two story, wood frame,

single-family dwelling on a lot of 5,009 square feet. The property was condemned and

ordered to be vacated by Code Enforcement on May 29, 2014. Vacant building folders

were subsequently opened on June 24, 2014. The current property owner is Linda M

Carreno, per Amanda and Ramsey County Property records.

On April 30, 2025, an inspection of the building was conducted, a list of deficiencies

which constitute a nuisance condition was developed and photographs were taken. An

Order to Abate a Nuisance Building was posted on May 28, 2025, with a compliance

date of June 27, 2025. As of this date, the property remains in a condition which

comprises a nuisance as defined by the legislative code. Taxation has placed an

estimated market value of $25,000 on the land and $138,700 on the building. Real

estate taxes are current. The vacant building registration fees are now due and owing

in the amount of $5,410. As of August 11, 2025, a Code Compliance Inspection has

not been done. As of August 11, 2025, the $5,000 performance deposit has not been

posted.

There have been ten Summary Abatement notices issued since 2014, and no word

orders have been issued. Code Enforcement Officers estimate the cost to repair this

structure exceeds $150,000. The estimated cost to demolish exceeds $35,000.

Moermond: based on the O&E report, sounds like liens are on the property. I think the

Ramsey County taxation estimate is high, this building is in very bad shape. I’m also

assuming this place has likely been cleaned out, but no inspector has been inside

since 2014. At that time there was animal and other hoarding with significant sanitation

issues. I have no one hear wanting to do anything with the building. Been in the Vacant

Building program for 11 years. I’m going to recommend this is ordered removed within

15 days with no option to repair.

Kristina Kaluza: I haven’t been retained officially yet. I do know typically my client likes

to work with the City to rehab the building. I would request some time to talk to my

client to see if we can get ahold of the borrower to make repairs.

Moermond: this goes to Council Public Hearing September 17. May 28 PHH did

receive correspondence about this, so they have had 90 days to initiate action already.

So, if you’re here saying, “we just”, that’s kind of on you. We need the Code

Compliance Inspection report and a $5,000 Performance Deposit. Those are the basic

things required to get a continuance at Council. It shows the ownership is actually

showing up at the table and not just begging for more time. Having handled this 11

years ago, I’m shocked it has taken this long to get to this point. It is quite bad.

Hoarding often hides deeper issues. If those two things happen perhaps we could look

at it, but I’d want that done before I’d ask Council to layover to continue any

conversation. I’d want those 2 things done by the preceding Friday, September 12.

Application made and Performance Deposit posted.

[The Carrenos showed up at 9:36 am after previous hearing concluded]

Ximena Correno, daughter, appeared

Linda Carreno, owner, appeared

[Moermond gives background of appeals process and how Category 3 substantial

abatement process works]

[Supervisor James Hoffman gave summary/staff report again]

Moermond: hearing that, the highlights for me are it is 11 years since it was ordered

vacated and condemned. The other is the building value in the summary is likely

higher than the value. If you went to Ramsey County now and asked, they likely would

come up with something lower. I know taxes are current. No Code Compliance

Inspection Report has been done. I do see the City has sent several abatement

notices, but you have taken care of things.

Linda Carreno: I’m staying in Bloomington now, at my late mother’s home, with my

granddaughter.

Ximena Correno: my daughter bought it from the estate and lives there with my

grandson. We have three houses that all need equal attention in the family, my mom’s

is obviously the longest and more serious issue. There needs to be a cleanup,

obviously. A dumpster and major cleanup. Until we came here we don’t know what to

do moving forward. Four years ago, the last time they came out I did a mental health

assessment through Ramsey County to get a case manager. The ball got dropped on

that. She is also not financially able to address this until recently, after my grandma

passed she inherited money and no longer in foreclosure. I was working with PHH

before foreclosure, but because it was condemned she couldn’t get a loan. We spent

a lot of money and time trying to get the mortgage rate dropped with that program. That

ended up being a waste of time. She was originally approved, then they’d go back and

change their mine. That was right before my grandmother fell. Then the pandemic for

some of the years. Now suddenly it has been 11 years, but there has been a number

of reasons it wasn’t addressed. Now, with family help, we’d like to help her save the

house. I get what you’re saying, but realistically there needs to be a cleanup before

any repairs or inspection. Her house was moved by ESNDC [East Side Neighborhood

Development Co.] from York to Sims Avenue, so some of the foundation stuff is due

to that.

Linda Carreno: it was on York Avenue by the school.

Ximena Correno: we’ve had several issues, random people coming into the home. Her

husband has a drug problem. People are stealing things. I live in Minneapolis. I’ve had

ongoing ankle surgeries. She also has health problems and mental health problems.

Linda Carreno: I’m planning on getting divorced, he has been causing me nothing but

trouble. He stays in the area.

Ximena Correno: he doesn’t live in there but does go in occasionally. He was clean for

a while, but it went downhill during the pandemic. She relied on him a lot for physical

things. He helped when my daughter bought grandma’s house. He’s capable, not

dependable.

Linda Carreno: besides that, if I can get a copy of things to discuss with my daughter,

brother and sister so they can help me. I have some learning disabilities; I send my

daughter everything.

Ximena Correno: she can’t read and comprehend a letter.

Linda Carreno: my brother couldn’t be here and wouldn’t be here because he doesn’t

want me to be a burden to his family either, but I’d like to show them this process

before I make a final decision.

Ximena Correno: we currently have a dumpster at my daughter’s property because

we’re going through the estate. She was 92 years old and lived there her entire life and

was hoarding at some point. No animals in there currently. I think they even trapped

some animals outside the house hanging around. That’s something we had issues with

before. It isn’t the first time this happened. There’s still the mess from that. She’s still

scared to enter the home. She can’t deal with this by herself; she’s scared of all of

this.

Moermond: first thing is to assess where you should be spending your money and what

you should take loans for or not. You should be thinking about the amount of money

you have to spend on housing, and whether you spend that limited pot on staying with

granddaughter or finding someplace else to be—whatever that looks like—

Ximena Correno: most of her money is going to the mortgage, and a lot of that is

escrow due to the number of assessments with the City. So, no principle is getting

paid.

Moermond: you need to do an analysis of whether you have the time or energy to deal

with this, cut my losses. I am losing, but I can’t get myself out. That’s one road.

Ximena Correno: obviously, we know that.

Moermond: of course you do. There may be a rehabber who may want to buy it from

you. I don’t know the value of that.

Ximena Correno: I’ve talked to a couple of those kinds of people recently. She wouldn’t

even break even. She has personal things in there. I haven’t been inside in a long

time.

Moermond: I think you do need to go in and think about what you want to do, what is in

there, what can be pulled out. Mr. Hoffman, would you recommend wearing a respirator

in there? Based on the animal hoarding, etcetera?

Hoffman: yes, certainly wear PPE. Even a full Tyvek suit and gloves. When you get

into buildings that haven’t had utilities.

Ximena Correno: there is electricity.

Hoffman: is the water on?

Ximena Correno: it was on up until a year or so ago. When she stopped going in after

my grandma fell.

Hoffman: if the water is on and you’re not running the heat in the winter you get broken

pipes. From my experience it happens and it tends to cause large issues. Soiled

carpet and things like that, that’s been that way for 10 years, you could have some

structural rotting and fall through the floor. Things to be cautious of.

Moermond: you mentioned earlier the roof had orders?

Hoffman: the initial condemnation in 2014.

Moermond: it was called out for leaking then, so that doesn’t make things look better.

Ximena Correno: and I don’t know. I can’t even tell you—back then it needed to be

addressed immediately and it wasn’t. I don’t even know what the structural damage is

and she doesn’t talk about it. Whatever is on that letter is all I know about, and that’s

from 2014. But I also don’t want to see her lose her house. She just gave PHH $29,000

6 months ago. That’s the hanging on part.

Moermond: of course.

Ximena Correno: if it is possible to save it that’s what she wants to do. She has help.

But that’s what we’re trying to figure out. If you see improvements and we are cleaning

up, how much time is she looking at? Then she’d get more time? That’s my biggest

question.

Moermond: you have a hoarded house that is very likely structurally compromised. I

also know you were living in that circumstance and it was ok with you and it took an

order to vacate to get out and into a someplace safer.

Ximena Correno: that’s the mental health part. We don’t know because it hasn’t been

assessed.

Moermond: that’s exactly right.

Linda Correno: I was just saying I think the floor is stable.

Ximena Correno: do you know if there was damage from the leaking roof?

Linda Correno: it was more the porch on the outside.

Ximena Correno: the three season porch. Upper level four season porch off the back

of the house.

Linda Carreno: I keep getting offers but I didn’t know if I could even sell it.

Moermond: you could have before May, with the Code Compliance Inspection report. At

this point it is raised up another level. I could make an exception and allow you to sell

but I need to know the person buying will get it done and they have to do that before

they take title to the property. That’s often written into the purchase agreement.

Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 8/26/2025

Making Finding on Nuisance Abatements

RLH RR 25-17

First Making finding on the appealed substantial abatement ordered for

887 CHARLES AVENUE in Council File RLH RR 24-17.

Bowie

Sponsors:

Layover to LH September 16, 2025 at 9 am for further discussion and CC cert status.

Kyle Runbeck, owner, appeared via phone

Moermond: we told you were going to pull a building permit, and I understand you went

and were turned away in error. Were you able to go back and get that?

Runbeck: I haven’t got the permit. I went in a couple of times and unfortunately I still

don’t have it. I guess Mr. Humphrey was on vacation and since the computers were

down since there was an approval given already they couldn’t verify that and give me a

permit. I’ll keep trying to get it, but unfortunately I don’t have it yet. As far as the list I

think I’m 100 percent now so I hope it will be quick between getting that permit and

everything being approved as done. I will keep trying.

Moermond: I have Supervisors Hoffman, can you put a note in the system when it’s

back up about pulling permits?

Hoffman: did you submit a permit application?

Runbeck: yes, twice now.

Moermond: due to the cyber-attack some systems are still down. We’ll continue this a

month to make sure that you are able to get the permits and an inspection. I think

that’s the way to go with this, not penalizing you because you haven’t been able to get

this going with the permits. Today is August 12th. Let’s continue your case to

September 9th and see if we can’t have it done by then. If we just have to have another

conversation then, that’s what we’ll do.

Runbeck: yes ma’am I’ll follow up on that and hopefully get Mr. Zane out.

Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/16/2025

10:00 a.m. Hearings

Special Tax Assessments - ROLLS

RLH AR 25-78

Ratifying the assessment for Collection of Vacant Building Registration

fees billed during March 1, 2024 to February 17, 2025. (File No. VB2512,

Assessment No. 258825)

Noecker

Sponsors:

Referred to the City Council due back on 9/17/2025

RLH AR 25-79

Ratifying the assessment for Securing and/or Emergency Boarding

services during March 2025. (File No. J2512B, Assessment No. 258112)

Noecker

Sponsors:

Referred to the City Council due back on 9/17/2025

11:00 a.m. Hearings

Summary & Vehicle Abatement Orders

RLH SAO

25-50

Appeal of Kathryn Weigelt to a Summary Abatement Order at 1593

MARGARET STREET.

Johnson

Sponsors:

Grant an extension to October 1, 2025.

Kathryn Weigelt, owner, appeared via phone

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Supervisor Lisa Martin: July 22, 2025 the order went to out cut and

remove all overgrown vegetation impeding the right-of-way including sidewalk and

street. Code section 105 says plants cannot exceed 36” and cannot overhang sidewalk

or street. Compliance date of July 25.

Weigelt: I think the letter summarizes my husband and I’s investment. We’ve spent a

lot of time to cultivate that area into a pollinator garden through the City’s standards

they promote. We are not at a corner and there may be leniency since our property

isn’t a safety concern. We’ve removed the plants overhanging. Cutting them down

removes their intention. Longer-term, every year it changes. The seed mix we selected

is for this area and its climate. The first year, last year, nothing exceeded 36”. This

year the evening primrose came in. We just went with the guidance we received for

what would be the best food. We will work this fall and next spring to bring in pollinator

plants that stay below 36” and put them in the area we cleaned up. The invasive

species is a big reason why we removed our lawn in the first place. The backfill that

went in after the sidewalk was put in during 2019 caused a ton of invasive species to

grow and an old growth tree was removed. We lost lawn grass. Plants no longer had

shade that needed it. It became only invasive species, which is why we looked for an

alternative.

Moermond: it is clear it is a native or managed planting. I am definitely concerned

about plants impeding the right-of-way and making it hard for someone to walk or pass

someone on the sidewalk. There IS a concern with the height of the plantings

themselves. You should be able to see someone walking down the sidewalk if you are

in the street. The public should be able to pass through that area. Six-foot plantings

make that impossible. Moving forward this does need to be considerably lower. I don’t

feel flexible on that. You have to be able to see the trike racing down the sidewalk.

The visibility for the pedestrian is still there. I don’t want to mess with this year’s

planting, but you will have an issue next year and be mindful of the seeds or mix you

put in and don’t exceed the 3’ mark. They are clearly flowing currently, peak season.

Next season nothing can exceed that 36” mark.

Weigelt: for context, we don’t add things, it is whatever is re-seeding. We do want to

add some to the boulevard area, around October. We’ll try to pull up anything larger

from the root to prevent those from starting.

Referred to the City Council due back on 8/27/2025

Correction Orders

RLH CO 25-7

Appeal of Edward Albrecht to a Correction Order at 1462 BROMPTON

STREET.

Privratsky

Sponsors:

Grant to September 9th, 2025 for compliance with July 14 correction notice, and grant

to November 1, 2025 to have approved site plan for continued parking or vehicles

removed from any unapproved location.

Edward & Tammy Albrecht, owners, appeared

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Supervisor Lisa Martin: July 24th a correction notice was issued to the

property saying that all vehicles on the property must have current tabs, licensed,

operable, cannot be missing vital parts and must be parked on an approved surface .

No site plan on file showing any approved off-street parking. They were asked to

submit that to Zoning for any proposed parking. Photos are in the file.

Albrecht: I know some of this is timing of the mail. We received it the 21st, so we tried

to get everything into compliance, we dealt with the fridge and tall grass and weeds

immediately. There was an asphalt parking pad when we bought the house we

assumed was legal. That’s where the car is packed. There’s class 5 behind the house,

so I assumed it was an ok parking surface.

Moermond: I think perhaps with all the greenery it isn’t classified as class 5. If it has to

be mowed….

Edward Albrecht: I haven’t been spraying. We’ve tried to pull as many as we can. I

acknowledge if there’s no site plan that’s on me. I tried reading the off-street parking

codes to figure out where we could apply for and whether that asphalt parking area

would be approved. It seems like it may be smaller than the site specified. I wasn’t

sure on procedure and best way of dealing with that. Part of the reason we appealed is

we were already scheduled to be out of town for 2 weeks for a boy scout trip and it was

hard to coordinate with limited cell service. We wanted to make sure it was done

correctly.

Moermond: makes perfect sense. What is your goal? We have two vehicles here.

Edward Albrecht: the garage there was built in 1940 so you can *almost* get a car into.

I was hoping to find 2 spots on the property if I am able to at all. The truck is being

removed. It was my father in law’s so we’re trying to coordinate moving that. He doesn’t

live in the state anymore. The black one is mine. The Honda CRV is my brother in

law’s and we’ve told him he has to move it. The Black Audi will be removed and

repaired.

This isn’t a rental property. We purchased the house when we were doing renovations

to our house. My wife’s family lives out of town, so they use it when they visit or go to

the state fair. It isn’t actively occupied.

Moermond: normally at this point I’d pull up aerial maps and go backwards in time to

see what it looked like and see how it has looked over the year. I’m unable to do that

currently. It is August 12th, let’s have the vehicles moved by September 9th. With

regard to parking next to the garage and sorting that out, let’s go to November 1.

If you go in, bring in a site plan, they have changes, I want you to have time to handle

that and make those changes. It will also take the Department more time to review,

because their computer systems are down for the foreseeable future. We are in a

unique time, let’s give some extra time for things none of us can control. Do those

days work for you?

Albrecht: yes.

Referred to the City Council due back on 8/27/2025

1:00 p.m. Hearings

Vacant Building Registrations

RLH VBR

25-31

Appeal of Geoff Lindback to a Vacant Building Registration Renewal

Notice at 1980 STANFORD AVENUE.

Jost

Sponsors:

Waive VB fee for 90 days (to November 8, 2025) and allow permits to be pulled.

Geoff Lindback, owner, appeared

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Supervisor Mitch Imbertson:

Staff report by Supervisor Matt Dornfeld: opened as a Category 1 fire March 25, 2025.

Moermond: we had an appeal with a waiver to December 8, 2024, after the file was

opened. We had a couple of appealed assessments, one in June and it was approved

and made payable over 3 years. This says it was opened August 8, 2024, so this is

year 2.

Sounds like you’re making good progress in your appeal documents.

Lindback: the insurance company is pressuring me to start work without the funds. My

contractor gave them an assessment early this year. There were some issues with my

claims adjuster, they left and they closed out my case. Got a new adjuster assigned.

March or April he submits to the new person the bid, she wanted it line itemed. He did

that. Got back to us mid-July, they wanted more information. He is going back to get

individual line-item bids and hoping to have it in this week. The house is sealed, I’m

over there weekly to mow and inspect. I did pay the prior Vacant Building fee. I’m

wondering if I have any options to defer this fee, with everything piling up. No one wants

to get through this more than me, but insurance is so far apart on this I don’t want to

open up a house and be stuck fighting them or stuck having to pay hundreds of

thousands of dollars.

My contractor works with a public adjusting firm. Candidly, if we get pushed back again

an attorney is my next step. I feel I’ve been beyond patient.

Dornfeld: I’m sure he wants it done get it done as quickly as possible. Stick close by.

Hire trustworthy contractors. Standard stuff.

Lindback: I talk with all my neighbors; they have my number and know to call me if

they see anyone there who isn’t me.

Moermond: we can get you another 90-day waiver.

Referred to the City Council due back on 8/27/2025

1:30 p.m. Hearings

Orders To Vacate - Fire Certificate of Occupancy

RLH VO 25-16

Appeal of James Marshall, tenant, to a Fire Correction Notice, which

includes Condemnation and Order to Vacate at 740 DAYTON AVENUE,

UNIT B-4.

Bowie

Sponsors:

Grant to September 15, 2025 for compliance with both July 8 and August 8 Fire C of O

orders or unit must be vacated.

Voicemail left at 1:38 pm: this is Marcia Moermond from St. Paul City Council calling

you about your appeal for 740 Dayton Avenue condemnation in your unit, B4. I do have

photos from the August 8 follow up inspection. What I’ll be saying is all the orders

issued on July 8 and August 8 need compliance by September 15. The owner will need

to schedule a full Certificate of Occupancy inspection for the entire building by

September 15, and your unit in particular needs to be repaired by September 15. Right

now, the extension is to September 15. We’ll send a follow up letter by email and the

landlord will be mailed a copy.

Ken Brown, appeared, 1:41 pm

Moermond: we had a complaint come into the City. Inspector wrote orders July 8; those

orders were appealed by James Marshall. At that point when we talked July 22, I said

we needed more of an inspection. The follow up inspection happened August 8 and

there are orders and fresh orders based on that. I assume you haven’t received

anything?

Ken Brown: what is the issue here?

Moermond: are you familiar with the July 8 letter?

Ken Brown: no, Frank Thurner. The renter had complained and he said he needed to

move so repairs could be done. That’s the last I heard. I’m in charge of doing the

repairs.

Moermond: July 8 a letter was sent saying B4 was being condemned, needed ceiling

repair, new orders issued August 8. Not sure if those have been received yet. What I

just left on Mr. Marshall’s voicemail was putting all of this on a September 15th

deadline.

[Imbertson outlines orders from August 8 and the new identified issues]

Imbertson: we also need access for a full inspection. It looks like Keith didn’t have

contact information.

Ken Brown: I need Mr. Marshall to move out before I can do the repairs.

Moermond: and Mr. Marshall was bringing up things about the landlord tenant

relationship and I told him that isn’t what we can do here.

Ken Brown: I already sent him his 14 day vacate notice. But it sounds like I still have

to go through the regular route.

Moermond: we can’t order him out. We can say the unit isn’t habitable by September

15th.

Imbertson: there would be potential penalties for allowing occupancy past the vacate

date.

Ken Brown: my hands are tied if I can’t get him to move. I’m not sure what I should do.

If he moved today I could start the repairs tomorrow.

Moermond: it sounds like you need your own legal advice. This isn’t something we can

tell you. We just say no one can be there and ultimately it’s the landlord that takes a

hit. Would a judge listen to this in an eviction process? Sure. I can’t.

Ken Brown: if he won’t move out and I can’t do the repairs I’m still liable for not

following your orders.

Moermond: the unit should be vacated and there are consequences if it isn’t. I’d say

you want to stay on the road you are on for eviction proceedings if that’s how you want

to solve it.

Ken Brown: sure, that was my confusion here.

Moermond: we’ll send a follow up letter Friday.

Referred to the City Council due back on 8/27/2025