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, July 25, 2024  
9:00 AM  
Room 330 City Hall & Court House/Remote  
9:00 a.m. Hearings (none)  
Special Tax Assessments  
10:00 a.m. Hearings  
Special Tax Assessments  
1
RLH TA 24-278  
Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 818  
CHARLES AVENUE. (File No. CG2402A2, Assessment No. 240114)  
Bowie  
Sponsors:  
Approve the assessment, noting it has already been paid.  
Daniel McNellis, owner, appeared via phone  
McNellis: we paid it because we realized we were in the wrong.  
Moermond: we will close the file and wish you a good rest of the day.  
Referred to the City Council due back on 8/14/2024  
2
RLH TA 24-280  
Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 159  
GRANITE STREET. (File No. CG2402A2, Assessment No. 240114)  
Bowie  
Sponsors:  
Reduce assessment from $154 to $77.22.  
Bruce Scott Johnson, owner, appeared via phone  
[Moermond gives background of appeals process]  
Staff report by Jillian Barden: property owner states it is currently vacant and has been  
for a number of years under the City’s Vacant Building program. The hauler has verified  
every balance on this account since October 2018 has been sent to the City for  
certification. An Unoccupied Dwelling Registration Form is currently on file with Waste  
Management with a start date of July 1, 2024. The property owner believes  
assessment should be reduced.  
Moermond: so a new Unoccupied Dwelling Registration Form is in saying no one lives  
there and we don’t need service. That applies to the third quarter, which just started.  
Mr. Johnson, why are you appealing?  
Johnson: I notified Waste Management, in writing, a year ago in May that the property  
was vacant and not to provide service. I got this bill in June so I called and talked to  
Sarah and said “Sarah I’m getting a Code Compliance and I keep getting these bills.”  
She said let me put a stop to that. I haven’t been using the service at all. My neighbor  
at 157 has been using it, I think, because he doesn’t have service. He purchased in  
2023 and still doesn’t have service at his house.  
Moermond: was this looked into?  
Barden: it was recommended we send a letter to owner at 157 to set up an account, so  
he doesn’t have an account.  
Moermond: so Waste Management would report they are picking up at 159. With no  
account it means there’s no can at 157?  
Barden: that’s correct. No name on file means no container.  
Moermond: you’ve been in the Vacant Building program since May of 2022. Has this  
been a problem this entire time? Did you not know the service continued?  
Johnson: I sent a note right away to Waste Management in 2022. I assumed it stopped  
service. The neighbor next door I don’t think ever had service. They’re connected  
townhomes but we have no association. Looks like one building but it is really too.  
She’s always just used it and never paid for service. August 2023 is when the new  
owner took over at 157, Mr. Post. When I talked to Sarah about it, I said I’m finding  
garbage in the can but we don’t have service but we are still getting billed.  
Moermond: so you thought the can there was actually 157?  
Johnson: yes.  
Moermond: the bills went to Ansel Johnson on Mound, but you live there too?  
Johnson: yes, that’s my dad.  
Moermond: there must have been notices of nonpayment that went out.  
Campbell: notice of non-payments go out every month until it goes to assessment.  
Moermond: so for July, third quarter, they’d get one August 5 and September 5 but not  
October 5?  
Campbell: they do send one the third month saying this is a final notice, it has been  
sent to the City. An additional letter comes out from the City saying now you owe us.  
Moermond: so notices from the hauler as well as the City for nonpayment. Have all of  
these gone to assessment?  
Barden: since 2018.  
Moermond: is your father not opening the mail? That osunds like a lot.  
Johnson: we aren’t asking for all of them, just from January.  
Moermond: you want what ?  
Johnson: the last one to be waived. I think you should bill the guy next door.  
Moermond: that’s kind of a private matter between you folks. The City did its part in  
terms of providing a can. I hear you sent a letter to Waste Management, but if a letter  
goes into Waste Management saying they don’t need service, how is that handled?  
Campbell: they should be contacting the property owner saying if they’ve done that. If it  
is just a letter I’m not sure they’d do it without further communication. Waste  
Management has notes saying they have had no communication. I will say anecdotally  
Waste Management is a huge corporation and they don’t handle mail well. We can’t  
ask them to produce a letter they say they don’t have.  
Moermond: I’m trying to balance all these pieces and how they fit together.  
Johnson: Waste Management said they can’t tell me how many times it was picked up  
during that time.  
Campbell: we requested it.  
Moermond: I think there can be some grace here. I’m balancing the fact notices of  
nonpayment were sent with the fact you weren’t using the service and this was  
complex. That is a lot of mail going out. For these two quarters I’ll ask the Council to  
reduce it, but not eliminate it. This is $154, I will recommend it is reduced by half,  
down to $77.22. Right now, I just have the second quarter bill in front of me, but the  
City has now received what they need to have assessed for Quarter 2 so I can ask  
staff to reduce it at that level, otherwise we can process a resolution to do that.  
Council Public Hearing is coming up if you are asking for more. That’s the next stop.  
Johnson: ok. Is the neighbor’s can being resolved?  
Campbell: yes, and I’ll request that pickup information.  
Referred to the City Council due back on 8/14/2024  
RLH TA 24-281  
3
Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1243  
THOMAS AVENUE. (File No. CG2402A2, Assessment No. 240114)  
Jalali  
Sponsors:  
Layover to LH August 6, 2024 at 3 pm for further discussion. Recommendation  
forthcoming.  
Ishmael Barry McReynolds  
[Moermond gives background of appeals process]  
Staff report by Jillian Barden: property owner feels like he’s being overcharged. He  
purchased the duplex November 2023 with two 96 gallon carts already on site. The  
property owner is contesting the Quarter 1, 2024 charge because he is unsure what he  
is being charged for. Aspen did not share an itemized invoice, however, quarterly  
service for two 96-gallon carts is $268.62, with the addition of service for one and a half  
months in Quarter 4, 2023, and late fees, this amount seems accurate. The property  
owner has now switched to a smaller service level and placed a unit on hold moving  
forward.  
McReynolds: I received a bill immediately when I moved there. [Someone] was upset  
with me for calling and asking. I am being punished, I should have closed my mouth  
and paid the bill. For 3 weeks I didn’t get any carts removed from my property.  
January, February 2024. I don’t like paying extra money to anybody. I am still being  
charged for two cans. I was informed I could put a hold on one of the units, Jillian told  
me that and has been great on educating me on this. I was there for six or seven  
weeks total. I shouldn’t have to pay a late fee on something I didn’t—  
Moermond: you’re really muffled on and off, so just note that, we’re all listening really  
hard.  
McReynolds: I didn’t even move in until December.  
Moermond: that responsibility switches at closing. I’m a little disappointed that Aspen  
didn’t provide an actual invoice. Staff can explain it, but that isn’t the same as an  
itemized invoice.  
McReynolds: I have a friend who uses them too and our bills our totally different. He  
lives in St. Anthony.  
Moermond: St. Paul has an organized system with a contract with a consortium of  
haulers with set rates. I can only deal with the bill in front of me, which is the first  
quarter of 2024 which includes some of the last quarter of 2023. They’re charging you  
half that quarter. We can get you the invoice, that’s not a problem.  
What else would you like?  
McReynolds: I don’t want the late charges. I pay my bills. I paid them something, not  
sure if you see that. Whatever they sent me a bill for I paid it.  
Moermond: I can’t see their records. You may have been paying the second quarter  
bill. We can find that out.  
Campbell: our records show you haven’t been assessed for Quarter 2, so you did pay  
that April May June bill. I now you mentioned Aspen said you were undercharged. They  
started only billing you for one. We’re talking today is just the first quarter, the $400  
that has not been paid and how we can help with that. That goes from November  
through March at this point.  
Moermond: where did late payment notices go?  
Barden: they were sent to his address.  
Campbell: on the most recent bill, Quarter 3, for July they did credit the account  
because of the mistake and change in Quarter 2. Bill for July was only $25 due to the  
credit. If you paid about $200 in April, it was rectified on your July bill.  
Moermond: overpayment at that time because later he changed his level of service.  
You were billed the whole amount, and then credit the next bill to get that down.  
Campbell: exactly.  
Moermond: so the $25 was just crediting the account for the overpayment. I’ll lay this  
over to August 6 and if everything is squared away we won’t need to talk, but otherwise  
we can just touch base on that.  
Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 8/6/2024