Minutes - Legislative Hearings

15 West Kellogg Blvd.

Saint Paul, MN 55102

City of Saint Paul

Minutes - Final

Legislative Hearings

Marcia Moermond, Chief Legislative Hearing Officer

Joanna Zimny, Deputy Legislative Hearing Officer

Mai Vang, Legislative Hearing Coordinator

legislativehearings@ci.stpaul.mn.us

651-266-8585

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

10:00 AM

Room 330 City Hall & Court House/Remote

10:00 a.m. Hearings

Special Tax Assessments

Ratifying the assessment for Demolition of Vacant, Nuisance and/or

Hazardous Structure from the month of June 2026. (File No. J2608C,

Assessment No. 262007)

RLH AR 26-62

Sponsors:

Noecker

Referred to the City Council due back on 9/23/2026

11:00 a.m. Hearings

Making Finding on Nuisance Abatements

RLH SAO 26-83 Making finding on the appeal of Delmy Muniz to a nuisance abatement

ordered for 1689 STILLWATER AVENUE in Council File RLH SAO

26-70.

Sponsors:

Yang

The nuisance is abated.

Voicemail at x1985 at 11:35 am: Good morning this is Marcia Moermond from St.

Paul City Council calling Dely Muniz reviewing the orders you had for cleaning up

yard and vehicles. It looks like you are in compliance with those orders. I have been

told by staff you have additional new things going on. They’ll be writing orders on that

as well as a bill for too many inspections. I would say talk to the inspector to make

sure you are maintaining things so you aren’t in trouble with the landlord or whoever.

Richard Kedrowski is the inspector and his number is 266-9141. Have a good day.

Referred to the City Council due back on 8/26/2026

Summary & Vehicle Abatement Orders

RLH SAO 26-82 Appeal of Mary Olson to a Notice to Cut Tall Grass and/or Weeds at

555 ASHLAND AVENUE.

Sponsors:

Bowie

Layover to LH September 1, 2026 at 11 am (unable to reach PO).

Voicemail left at 11:39 am: good morning this is Marcia Moermond from St. Paul City

Council calling Mary Olson about your appeal of tall grass and weeds and we’ll try

you back in 5 or 10 minutes.

Voicemail left at 12:01 pm: this is Marcia Moermond from St. Paul City Council calling

again about your appeal and I will continue your case until next week and hopefully

resolve it at that time. Tuesday between 11 and 1 to discuss.

Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/1/2026

Appeal of Rich C. Nelson to a Summary Abatement Order at 2348

BUFORD AVENUE.

RLH SAO 26-84

Sponsors:

Coleman

Grant to September 11, 2026 for removal or proper (indoor) storage of fence poles,

scrap wood, any plastic tubs lacking covers or drainage holes.

Rich Nelson, owner, appeared

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Nelson: I called for clarification and the guy told me I shouldn’t appeal and asked him

to come out—

Moermond: hold on for a second. Supervisor Lisa Martin is on the line and if there

was confusing or incorrect information we can discuss, along with any training issues

if needed.

Staff report by Supervisor Lisa Martin: august 14, 2026 a Summary Abatement Order

was issued specifically related to outside storage: windows, screens, scrapwood,

metals, bins, crates, plastic tubs, coolers, miscellaneous items. Compliance date of

August 21. All of the outdoor storage isn’t bad, by looking at the photos. The photos

he just submitted, the front yard is stunning. Beautiful porch. The backyard, you can

have lawnmowers, garden tools, ladders, but there are a lot of tubs which we aren’t

particularly fond of. Any type of open container is a mosquito issue. Storage by

garage, racks of old wood, maybe fence pieces. Screens in original photos. Anything

not being put to use should be put somewhere else. The back of the property I see

plants, they aren’t overhanging into the alley. Just a few items. The coolers and lawn

furniture are fine.

Moermond: in the City photos it shows they have lids or are upside down. Is that your

observation?

Martin: yes, majority of them, but the amount is concern.

Nelson: I’m getting ready for winter. I arrange the snow blowing for the alley with the

neighbors. I had the tubs there to keep from getting wet. I had four garbage services

in the last 15 years. They kept giving me new bins, but wouldn’t take the old one. I

have a triplex, and I was required to have 3 three. I live on the first floor and rent the

2nd and 3rd floors to single women in their 50’s. I have all these big tubs, four

recycling tubs. I cover them and put them in the back. That’s most of what you see

there. I have dirt in some of the older ones. The photo on the Summary Abatement

Order is a photo of my garden bench. It can be messy, but I use it every day. The

coolers, someone had just moved in and asked me to wash them out, the day before

he came. I’ve had many Certificate of Occupancy inspections and always A ratings

over the last 30 years. He told me not to appeal, Racquel told me I should. I was on

the St. Anthony Park district Council for 10 years trying to work with people.

Moermond: we can get you information on Cart sharing---

Nelson: we do that now. I still have all those old ones, there’s Willie’s cans, Aspen,

Knutson and Gene’s.

Moermond: if you send in a photo and include the number on the cart I think Public

Works can help.

Nelson: are you saying I can’t have them?

Moermond: no, I’m talking about if you don’t want one.

Nelson: I have items stored in them, mulch, pots.

Moermond: if you wanted to get rid of them, we can help you figure that out. Same

with recycling containers. We’ll connect with Public Works.

The next thing is I’m not thinking you should have any buckets or other containers

that don’t have drainage.

Nelson: I don’t have any. The tubs have lids.

Moermond: and I am not going to worry about upside down ones. Ms. Martin, I think

that what we’re talking about is that bit of scrapwood and metal that is in that

“improvised” storage area.

Nelson: those are tent poles that I’ve used every summer. I didn’t put it up this year

due to health issues. I can recycle them I suppose.

Moermond: I think the goal is neatening this up. Stacking scrapwood and metal, you

can have firewood and there’s a particular way to store them.

Nelson: I have 4 30-gallon plastic tubs with firewood in them, so they don’t get wet. I

was going to repaint my garage, or maybe reside it. I’m willing to get rid of anything.

Moermond: I see this pile of things [shows photos]

Nelson: I’ve moved most of that.

Moermond: you could store firewood in a particular way. In the buckets, it is fine. You

can’t have scrap wood like this. Put it to use, that’s fine. You have it gone and that

leaves the back of the garage with a lot less. You do have an extraordinary amount of

plastic.

Nelson: yes.

Moermond: as time goes on, I see a lot is empty, one of the things I see with a lot of

gardeners, with items you are saving in case you need them, but it becomes too

much. Way beyond you’ll use. Start getting rid of them.

Nelson: some of those tubs my partner has fairy gardens stored in them in the winter.

Moermond: fence poles, any remaining scrap wood, any remove tubs that aren’t

covered or have drainage by September 11th.

Referred to the City Council due back on 9/9/2026

Appeal of Mary Roach to a Summary Abatement Order at 1045

CHARLES AVENUE.

RLH SAO 26-78

Sponsors:

Bowie

Grant to September 11, 2026 for compliance with removal of all plants/grass from

rear parking area and trimming or removing any boulevard plants hanging into ROW.

Grant appeal on balance of orders.

Mary Roach, owner, appeared via phone

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Supervisor Lisa Martin: notice to cut tall grass and weeds on August

6,2026. Looking at photos it is more a boulevard planting, but the back yard hasn’t

been touched in a while. If I was driving down the alley I would think this is an

abandoned property if I was driving back there.

Roach: I do have a blvd garden, I also have a backyard garden which is what I think

she’s referencing. I do have a lot of plants for an endangered bee in our backyard, as

well as monarchs and fireflies. It isn’t grass, so I was following guideline son blvd

garden which is 36” so we did cut down all grasses below 8” and 36” for the flowers.

They are all intentional plantings. As far as the alley, there are a few weeds in back

since we don’t use the garage, but I’ve been working on it as best I can. I am hoping

the City doesn’t come out and cut because it is habitat for a lot of species.

Moermond: we’re looking at 30’ here since it isn’t a corner lot. I’m guessing the lot

next door is 30’, thoughts? All it would mean is a few more feet would be lower, but

I’m not going to sweat that. Just the 36” unless Ms. Martin thinks otherwise.

Moermond: I did forward photos from yesterday. We have newspapers, fencing that

can’t be there, height is still too high, a lot of overhanging vegetation on the sidewalk

still. The back yard, I don’t see this is intentional, it looks overgrowth that hasn’t’ been

maintained.

Nelson: I am happy to speak to that. I think of how people who aren’t aware of how

native plantings look it may look overgrown. I’m happy to label or shown photos from

U of M extension site. I’m happy to trim anything above 36”, I would ask then I be

given more time since my wife and I are both disabled. I can’t speak to newspapers, I

haven’t seen any. We do sometimes get trashed dumped, but I didn’t see any when I

walked out this morning.

Moermond: we need to make sure any remnants of turf lawn remaining needs to be

replaced with plants. That isn’t considered native under statute. The overhanging on

the sidewalk needs to be taken care of. That’s a safety concern. I’m good with the

native plantings there. The area behind the garage I would not count as native

plantings since the approach to the garage needs to be an impermeable surface and

I think what you have there is growing through what would be the apron to the

garage. The use is garage that must have an apron under code. We’ll grant the

appeal on the rest and I like you have a pesticide free pollinator sign. I think that is

helpful.

Nelson: I am hoping to do a low growing native planting back there, there was

nothing there when I moved in in 2018. Is that something required under code?

Moermond: yes, I do think it flags things for inspectors when there isn’t a drivable

garage there. I know you do have a narrow space, but technically there shouldn’t be

garden where you should be able to park a car.

Nelson: got it, ok. Thank you for clarifying.

Moermond: we’ll give a compliance date of September 11th.

Referred to the City Council due back on 9/9/2026

1:00 p.m. Hearings

Vacant Building Registrations

RLH VBR 26-17 Appeal of John Ludwig, Superior Financing Inc, to a Vacant Building

Registration Requirement at 12 OAKLEY AVENUE.

Sponsors:

Coleman

Deny the appeal.

John Ludwig, representing ownership group, appeared via phone

[Moermond gives background of appeals process]

Staff report by Supervisor Matt Dornfeld: as of August 20, 2026 it should be noted all

permits at the property were pulled and finaled under the previous owner, not current

owner. Also purchaser of May 2025 didn’t do sale review process. Building permit

was never issued due to insufficient funds. Lots of permits with no inspections and

never finaled. That was Ms. Scheffer. August 14, 2026 Inspector Humphrey notes the

project is complete. Contractor hasn’t been paid. Check bounced. Property listed for

sale. I have authorized permits. property owner requested 90 day Vacant Building fee

hold and I was told to tell him to appeal.

Moermond: this went in the Vacant Building program January 24, 2024 from my

notes.

Dornfeld: correct.

Moermond: tell me what is the history of this Mr. Ludwig.

Ludwig: my company finances rehabs for partners. In this case we heard of this

opportunity from a rehab partner who wanted to finish it up. Work had been started,

not sure what happened with previous owner or contractor. We purchased May 2025

on behalf of the rehab partner who has put extensive work on. I rely on him to do

things right and get the right permits and follow up with sale inspections and finalizing

permits. My rehab partner is Ecuadorian and went back in May 2026 to facilitate US

citizenship so he’s been out of pocket lately but has local partners trying to finish it

up. Until I got the notice of the fine I assumed all was done correctly, only to find out it

really hasn’t. I fund the project with checks to my partner and if they provided funds to

other contractors that bounced I was unaware of it. I guess I just want to say this

property has been loved since it was acquired. Touched top to bottom and is in good

shape right now. That’s an important part of getting these vacant properties back to

good standing, and that’s what we’ve done.

Moermond: not yet. You’re on the path it sounds like, with a couple hurdles yet. I can

only look at the finish line, which is getting that Code Compliance certificate. Then it

is taken off the list. There’s no gray area of work happening and being off the list. We

should talk about the $5,410 Vacant Building fee. That’s an annual fee, the cost of

being in the Vacant Building program. No, it isn’t cheap. When I look at these I look at

when it went into the program. January 2024. The first fee would have been issued

around then, prospectively, so January 2024 to January 2025. Paid. Next would have

been billed for January 2025 through 2026. So again before you bought in May. The

last fee in front of us today covers January 2026 through January 2027. We’re

looking at it now instead of January as per normal practice is because Department of

Safety and Inspections’ computer system has been switching over since last year’s

cyber attack. The Vacant Building program hasn’t had as wide of access, so you’re

being billed now instead of January. Halfway through the year. Normally I ask how

fast we can get it out of the program; I’m struggling because waivers get hard this far

into the billable year. Normally I’d look a 90 day waiver. We’re already pretty deep in.

I’m not sure how far you are from finalizing permits. I have urban construction pulling

permits. Is that your partner in Ecuador?

Ludwig: no, must be someone he contracted with.

Moermond: that was July 2025 and had insufficient funds.

Ludwig: NSF on the permit fee?

Moermond: yes. That will slow up inspections and work being done isn’t being done

under permit. That needs to get squared away. I’m going to recommend the Council

denies this appeal. You should be in the Vacant Building with the fee. If this goes

unpaid however, it becomes an assessment onto the taxes which is also appealable.

At that juncture we can look at how quickly did things get done and done it merit

proration. The faster it gets completed the better.

Referred to the City Council due back on 9/2/2026

RLH VBR 26-18 Appeal of Gomaa Elzamel to a Vacant Building Registration

Requirement at 713 PREBLE STREET.

Sponsors:

Johnson

Layover to LH Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 1 pm (rescheduled per PO's request).

Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/1/2026