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, April 17, 2025

9:00 AM

Room 330 City Hall & Court House/Remote

9:00 a.m. Hearings

Special Tax Assessments

RLH TA 25-145

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1686

RACE STREET. (File No. CG2501A1-1, Assessment No. 250115)

Jost

Sponsors:

Layover to LH May 6, 2025 at 3 pm (PO cannot attend). LH staff to send email to title

co.

Moermond: laying this over to May 6 at 3 pm, we are going to be sending him all the

information, Sonia in our office let him know this in Spanish and we’re hoping we can

just close this out by email which he said would be fine.

Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 5/6/2025

RLH TA 25-218

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1226

BERKELEY AVENUE. (File No. CG2502A1, Assessment No. 250113)

Jost

Sponsors:

Delete the assessment.

George Henry, owner, appeared via phone

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Jillian Barden: Waste Management was double billing this property,

they had 2 accounts set up for this address as of September 4, 2024 because they

didn’t close the previous owner’s account. They also removed the charges for the

Quarter 1, 2025 quarter. Staff recommends removing the assessment.

Moermond: you wanted to share some thoughts? We have a recommendation of

removing the assessment.

Henry: that works for me. Jillian has been great to work with, thank you.

Referred to the City Council due back on 5/14/2025

RLH TA 25-208

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1122

JACKSON STREET. (File No. CG2502A2, Assessment No. 250114)

Kim

Sponsors:

Layover to LH May 6, 2025 at 3 pm to find out due process requirements for the

deceased.

Moermond: we’ll lay this over to May 6 at 3 pm since I am still trying to connect with the

City Attorney on this; she was out sick. I’ll connect with her and talk with her about

resolving this. We’ll put a result on the record then.

Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 5/6/2025

RLH TA 25-217

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 840

MONTANA AVENUE WEST. (File No. CG2502A1, Assessment No.

250113)

Kim

Sponsors:

Delete the assessment.

No one appeared

Staff report by Jillian Barden: I spoke with Ms. Anderson and Waste Management

stated they received her payment of $77.34 on a closed Waste Management account,

so they agreed to reverse this assessment and mail her a refund check of $5.50.

Moermond: and customer was satisfied so the book is closed on that.

Referred to the City Council due back on 5/14/2025

RLH TA 25-219

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1453

PAYNE AVENUE. (File No. CG2502A1, Assessment No. 250113)

Kim

Sponsors:

Approve the assessment.

Christy Lamoreaux, owner, appeared via phone

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Jillian Barden: property owner purchased the house on December 2024.

property owner tried to contact their title specialist about this Quarter 4 assessment,

but has no resolution. Staff doesn’t recommend reducing or removing the assessment.

Moermond: this is the bill for October through December. Tell me why you are

appealing?

Lamoreaux: just if there’s any way to forgive this since it wasn’t information given to us

by the title company. That’s not your problem, I know, we’re having to put so much

more into this house than we initially thought we’re looking for any help or discount we

can get regarding any of the assessments. We’re working really hard on getting this

rehabbed and that’s really it.

Moermond: well, not great news. We really can’t step into this as a City. The City did

provide the service and the bill goes with the property. The title company sounds like

you’re working with and them and the seller are really the ones who are responsible for

resolving this in our view. The City wasn’t a party to that transaction.

Lamoreaux: right, right.

Referred to the City Council due back on 5/14/2025

RLH TA 25-222

Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for property at 1709

SCHEFFER AVENUE. (File No. CG2502A1, Assessment No. 250113)

Jost

Sponsors:

Approve the assessment.

No one appeared April 17, 2025.

Moermond: we had the owner show up last week at hearings and hadn’t let us know he

was coming, so we had no prepared file. But he did talk at us for a good length of time

about City policies and not necessarily the garbage bill. He did work with Public

Works after that.

Jillian Barden: the property owner thought the Quarter 3 2024 assessment removed at

Legislative Hearing in January 2025 would show up on his Quarter 4 2025 garbage bill.

He came to the hearing April 10, 2025 unplanned and I spoke with him about how the

assessment works and he stated he will pay the assessment. Staff doesn’t

recommend removal or reduction.

Moermond: recommend approval.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Andrew Busteed, owner, appeared on April 10

Moermond: what address are you here on sir?

Busteed: I’m sorry, good morning to you all. How are you all.

Moermond: fine. What address are you here on?

Busteed: I asked you to say good morning and acknowledge it.

Moermond: I know you asked that, I asked what address you’re here on. Please have a

seat.

Busteed: great. Thank you and good morning.

Moermond: hello, please have a seat.

Busteed: my file number is CG2502A1.

Moermond: that puts you on a list with 1,000 other addresses, could you give me your

address, please?

Busteed: 1709 Scheffer Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota. Property ID 09-28-23-43-005.

Moermond: that isn’t on our agenda. Did you call to appeal?

Busteed: yeah, I set it up for today.

Moermond: with who, do you remember?

Busteed: I don’t know. I followed the instructions on the letter when I received it a

month ago. I set it up for today. I also sent in a note.

Jillian Barden: we show him coming in January 2 and asked for a $6.12 late fee to

removed—

Busteed: yeah, and I never got that addressed? Where am I at with that $16? I haven’t

gotten that back Marcia.

Moermond: my name is Ms. Moermond in this room.

Busteed: that’s what I said.

Moermond: and what is your name?

Busteed: my name is Andrew Busteed. Nice to meet you and good morning again.

Moermond: thank you, we’ll try to figure something out here. We don’t have a specific

appeal that has been filed yet—

Busteed: do you need me to come back another day?

Moermond: Ms. Barden, tell me more about the record in the Customer Service file.

Barden: he asked for a $6 late fee to be removed.

Busteed: and all I’ve received is a canned letter and no action.

Moermond: and I would love it if you would let her finish her report.

Busteed: that’s great. I’m just giving you the follow up.

Moermond: you can wait just a second and let her finish. And you didn’t even let me

start at all—

Busteed: floor is yours. Time is money baby. Let’s go, let’s get ‘er done.

Moermond: sir, you have to show up with more respect.

Busteed: I’m just going to tell you ma’am, you’ve successfully taken my wife to close

her building and her business in St. Paul. My wife has convinced me she is happy in

her new location with her 25 people. She successfully happy moving into her new home

next month and getting away from this clown act you guys have going on down here

and this lying cheating thief down here at the end of the hall doesn’t follow his own

rules. So let’s get to the bottom of this garbage can thing! And why couldn’t you guys

have figured out this solution in the beginning with Waste Management? You took

away my 25 year carrier—if you really wanna know it was my 50 year carrier because

my parents had the same carrier! They did a fine job. Now you want to plow alleys. You

folks have to get your act together. You guys—he’s a lying thief down here about this

spot on Randolph. All the paperwork was filed. He’s just covering his tracks so he can

run for the next office. What do we need to do to get this thing resolved because I’m

done with your City and I’m moving the heck out of here. I wanna know what needs to

be done when, how much and who is going to take care of it. And I wanna be out of

here in 5 minutes! Am I clear!? *pause* YES? AM I CLEAR?

Moermond: not your hearing sir—

Busteed: it is my hearing, I pay your salary—

Moermond: I pay my salary too. Enough of that.

Busteed: that’s great. Get the hell out of the City ‘cuz it’s horrible.

Barden: I love St. Paul.

Busteed: I used too.

Barden: the only other notes I have is that I did reach out to the previous hauler and

asked about the late fee. He made a late payment September 6, 2024, which is why

he ended up with a late fee, and he called October 4 complaining about it. He was very

rude to the staff working for the Hauler.

Busteed: as I clearly stated to you folks down here, and clearly stated it to YOU. Are

you paying attention to me or are you multitasking?

Moermond: I’m trying to look up your address in the tax records.

[Busteed talking over LHO: I’d appreciate it if you’d put your laptop down]

Moermond: keep going, because it isn’t showing up on the garbage roll, which is what I

was looking up.

Busteed: I specifically explained to you that my checks do not get processed in due

time. You were going to give me a credit back. All you did is waste the 60 cents on

your canned letter you send everyone else and nothing has been taken care of.

Barden: I sent that letter.

Busteed: oh, you did? Thank you very much I appreciate your service. So, it sounds

like we’re not going to get anywhere. We don’t have any resolution on that credit. I’ll let

you go about your business today. There’s no other City business that needs to be

completed other than for me to sell my home, pay my taxes next month, and be out of

your City.

Moermond: what exactly is your ask today?

Busteed: where’s my credit? I don’t owe you any money for trash service or anything.

You clowns gotta get your act together.

Moermond: I know it’s fun for you to call names but I tell you what, I have a $71.84

assessment. You want a credit of what I was hearing was $6.

Busteed: I don’t wanna pay that bill.

Moermond: you don’t want to pay any of the bill? Or part of the bill?

Busteed: I’m obligated to pay the bill for the clown trash service. I just want my credit

from the last time I was down here to go towards that bill. Then I’ll pay it.

Moermond: since we didn’t know this gentleman was coming, Ms. Barden can you

create a file that has all the background information on it, check with the haulers on

their billing records. We can review that file and send you an email—

Busteed: here’s another clown act. You’re delegating work to her that cost me taxpayer

dollars. Now she has to spend over an hour and 15 minutes doing this research—I’m

sorry if I point—that between her salary, the tools she uses in the City, her benefits,

and her pension, that’s more than the dollar amount on the bill. Why can’t we resolve

this here and now and get this taken care of so I don’t have to spend more of my tax

dollars? See this is the stuff that you guys gotta get under control—

Barden: we did remove—

Busteed: I spent 35 years in corporate America. I understand how to run a business

and get it done.

Moermond: sir, for the record, you are on an assessment roll that includes 2,638

properties. In that is $412,391 [BUSTEED WHISTLES IN BACKGROUND]—Please

let me finish! That is people who didn’t pay their bills. On my agenda today [Busteed

argues in background]---let me finish sir! No, it is my hearing room and you’ve been

talking over me—there are 5 appeals out of those 2,000+ properties. This is what we

do to make sure they’re accurate. [Busteed continues arguing and stands to leave]

Barden: we did remove it.

Moermond: let’s put this in writing and send it out by email.

Busteed: I don’t have an email. What’s your phone number?

Barden: I’m not sure, I’m not in the office.

Moermond: we’ll send a letter via US Mail.

Busteed: don’t waste the tax money. Start focusing on the things that need to get

done.

Moermond: we will do our jobs and make a complete record.

Busteed: you always gotta get the last statement in! Let it go, I’m out of here. Thank

you all for your service, Ma’am—

Moermond: goodbye.

Referred to the City Council due back on 5/14/2025