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

Thursday, January 2, 2025

9:00 AM

Room 330 City Hall & Court House/Remote

9:00 a.m. Hearings

Special Tax Assessments

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1709

SCHEFFER AVENUE. (File No. CG2501A1, Assessment No. 250111)

RLH TA 25-29

Sponsors:

Jost

Delete the assessment.

Andrew Busteed, owner, appeared

Moermond: we don’t have you on the agenda, did you call?

Jillian Barden: we have a missed collection note.

Busteed: you know, I’m going to tell you something. I don’t produce enough trash for

that trash hauling service. I’ve discussed this with you guys 15 times.

Moermond: before you testify, let’s back it up a bit.

Busteed: I just want to get in and out of here. I’m selling my house and getting the

heck out of St. Paul. I’m done with you guys. I’ll go to [room] 700 and take care of it.

But these people at the trash place, they’re rude to you, they don’t listen, it takes

them 14 days to process—

Moermond: “these people at the trash place”—we have the garbage collector—

Busteed: yeah, Aspen Waste.

Moermond: if you’re in this room it means you are appealing the assessment you got

the notice about.

Busteed: actually I’m telling you what I’m going to do.

Moermond: legally I have to tell you what is going on.

Busteed: great. I’d like to listen to you please.

[Moermond gives background of appeals process

Busteed interrupts: I need you to explain what you’re going to discuss with that body.

Moermond continues, explaining the recommendation process]

Moermond: we don’t have a record for this, but Aspen is your hauler. What bill are

you looking at, how much money?

Busteed: $6.12.

Moermond: that sounds like a late fee.

Busteed: it is a late fee.

Moermond: tell me more.

Busteed: I made the decision to sell my home in Highland. I am done with St. Paul. I

can’t count on things from Melvin Carter, I can’t count on things by the City Council. I

cannot count on you guys doing things. You say you’re going to do one thing and put

out bills, we vote on things and the money is designated for someone else. I can’t

count on this City anymore. I’ve lived here 55 years and I will be out of here by April.

I’m selling my beautiful Spanish tutor home in Highland and I’m going to Mendota. I’m

starting my process to build a new residency out there because I cannot depend on

St. Paul. The only thing I will be dependent on in Mendota is the St. Paul water, which

is contaminated with lead and you don’t have a full action plan on how to take care of

those old lead pipes.

And I’m here to talk to about my trash, my trash, I have told you many times when it

started—

Moermond: me?

Busteed: your team at Aspen. Your team at Public Works.

Moermond: I work for the City Council.

Busteed: right, but I do not generate enough trash, until a year ago, when I would

generate half a plastic Walmart bag because I travel all the time. Never was I home

for 14, 15 months of your program. I took my half a bag of recycling and my milk jug

and recycled it at work. Why do I need to pay for trash for 15 or 18 months when I’m

in my home for less than 48 hours?

Moermond: I’m not here to discuss the policy.

Busteed: when I speak with Aspen people, they are rude. They are your client. You

have chosen them to represent the City. They are rude. They don’t listen. I’ve

monitored and it takes anywhere from 16 to 24 days to process a payment.

This is why I’m sitting here, your honor, to resolve a $6 late fee they won’t take off my

bill because they are pissed and you canned them and went to the Japanese hauler.

That’s going to be a debacle. Why can’t I just go back to my 30 and 40 year old

parent’s trash hauler that I never had any problems with and got things taken care of.

I don’t get my garbage emptied out of my can—

Moermond: residents passed a ballot initiative saying they wanted organized hauling.

Busteed: I didn’t pass it. And you know what? I don’t want you to control the alley

snow plowing either. I’m out of here. How much do I owe you? Do I have to pay you

the $6 or are you going to relinquish that? Or do you want to go discuss that for

another half our with your board and get back to me through written correspondence?

Is that what you’d like?

Moermond: sir, is your ask—

Busteed: that is my ask. I want that $6 to go away.

Moermond: why?

Busteed: did you hear me clearly? I stated how long it takes them to process

payment. That’s why I had a late payment.

Moermond: so you called for what purpose?

Busteed: to get the $6 resolved.

Moermond: why was it unresolved?

Busteed: because they didn’t process the payment.

Moermond: they had the payment?

Busteed: they had the payment, I watched online for when it went through my bank

account.

Moermond: they got it, didn’t process it timely.

Busteed: correct.

Moermond: fine. I’ll recommend deleting it.

Busteed: and you’ll follow up with a written note?

Moermond: what you’ll have is no bill forthcoming.

Busteed: I’m out of here anyway. I’m done with you guys.

Referred to the City Council due back on 2/12/2025

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1783

AMES AVENUE. (File No. CG2501A1, Assessment No. 250111)

RLH TA 25-1

Sponsors:

Yang

Recommendation forthcoming pending review of bill mailing addresses.

Xeng Chang, owner, appeared via phone

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Jillian Barden: property owner was unaware he needed to place a hold

when he purchased the home May 31, 2024. He received 2 assessments for $154.46

for Quarter 2, 2024 and Quarter 3, 2024. He is remodeling home, and not living there.

On October 31, 2024 I assisted the property owner with setting up a service hold to

pause billing until he has finished remodel and plans to move in.

Chang: we bought the house but haven’t moved in because we need to fix it. We

didn’t call for the trash or do anything.

Moermond: did this come up at closing at all?

Chang: no.

Moermond: normally what would happen is when you buy the property they’d split the

current bill between the old and new owners. That didn’t happen it sounds like. You

wouldn’t have been informed by the seller what was going on. Your closing agent

didn’t mention this?

Chang: right.

Moermond: what I’d suggest is you call up the closing agent and have a conversation

with them that you weren’t told this bill was out there. The thing that is important is

you bought it from an estate, but more importantly the closer didn’t divide the bill

between you and estate for Quarter 2. Quarter 3 you didn’t know the bill had

transferred to you as the new owner. See if the title company can cover this, because

that’s really where the problem lies. It isn’t the City not informing you. We’re going to

double check to make sure you were receiving the bill. They appear to have got

caught up for April through June. We’ll double check the bills went to you in your

name, not just the assessment. We’ll send an email to you and get you the final

determination. If the bills went to you, then you are responsible. If they somehow

went to the previous owner, then we may have a reason to delete.

Referred to the City Council due back on 2/12/2025

RLH TA 25-2

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 652

IGLEHART AVENUE (File No. CG2501A2, Assessment No. 250112)

Sponsors:

Bowie

Appeal withdrawn, noting there is no pending assessment.

Note: appellant indicated to staff he would appear in person at 9 am. Appellant did

not appear and was called at 10:01 am.

Voicemail left at 10:01 am: this is Marcia Moermond from St. Paul City Council calling

you about your appealed tax assessment for garbage hauling services at 652

Iglehart. It is confusing because there is no pending assessment for this address or

one related to this. I’m not thinking we have anything to discuss, but if you have any

concerns we’re happy to hear them but in my view there is no appeal pending

because there is no assessment pending. Reach out to Public Works staff at

651-266-6571

Moermond: we’ll withdraw this noting there is no pending assessment.

Withdrawn

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 104

IVY AVENUE WEST. (File No. CG2501A1, Assessment No. 250111)

RLH TA 25-4

Sponsors:

Kim

Approve the assessment.

No one appeared

Staff report by Jillian Barden: this account has been listed under the name 'Northland

Baptist Church' in Waste Management’s system since October 2018, even though

current property owner purchased property in April 2023. Payment history has been

poor, with multiple balances sent for certification, however someone did call in and

make a payment of $112.57 on October 9, 2024, which was applied to the Quarter 4,

2024 billing cycle. Property owner understands he owes the Quarter 3, 2024

statement and agreed to make a payment to the city. Staff does not recommend

removing or reducing assessment.

Referred to the City Council due back on 2/12/2025

10:00 a.m. Hearings

Special Tax Assessments

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 422

LAFOND AVENUE. (File No. CG2501A2, Assessment No. 250112)

RLH TA 25-3

Sponsors:

Bowie

Reduce assessment from $258.52 to $51.99.

Moermond: sounds like a reduction because?

Barden: Republic Services requested the reduction to reflect 3 weeks of service.

From $258.52 to $51.99.

Moermond: so deleting all but 3 weeks because it wasn’t billed correctly. Any late

fees?

Barden: I think it did.

[staff reviews math and found it correct]

Referred to the City Council due back on 2/12/2025

Special Tax Assessments-ROLLS

Ratifying the assessment for the City’s cost of providing Collection of

Delinquent Garbage Bills for services during July to September 2024.

(File No. CG2501A1, Assessment No. 250111)

RLH AR 25-1

Sponsors:

Jalali

Referred to the City Council due back on 2/12/2025

Ratifying the assessment for the City’s cost of providing Collection of

Delinquent Garbage Bills for services during July to September 2024.

(File No. CG2501A2, Assessment No. 250112)

RLH AR 25-2

Sponsors:

Jalali

Referred to the City Council due back on 2/12/2025