St. Paul to increase rate for street maintenance
The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday approved an increase in homeowner fees to pay for services like snowplowing and street sweeping.
But not before critics had their say.
"While we continue to see these increases in fees, we're seeing less services," said Dan Laux, a resident and staff member of the management team at the Cosmopolitan, a 255-unit apartment building in Lowertown. "It seems like we're paying more for less."
City officials said increases in the cost of salt, petroleum products like asphalt and lighting helped drive the increase, which appears to average about 8 percent per homeowner but is likely to be stiffer for some businesses.
At issue was the roughly $28.5 million Right-of-Way Maintenance Program and a public hearing on its 2009 annual assessment. Like a property tax, the annual assessment is charged to every property owner each fall.
But unlike a property tax, this assessment isn't based on the value of the property but on how many feet of the property front a street or alley — and on a fee structure that has drawn criticism from the business community.
"If you look at them, if you're a home on Grand Avenue, you pay $3.13 per linear foot, but if you're a business, you pay $7.68, and we're trying to figure out why that is," said Matt Anfang, president of the Greater St. Paul Building Owners and Managers Association. Since last year, the group has met with the city to try to decipher the fees and how they pay for services.
We're about two-thirds of the way there," he said.
Tanya Hemphill, a general manager at Cushman & Wakefield, which manages the First National Bank Building downtown, said the building's annual assessment is increasing by 18.4 percent. "We're just trying to understand what additional services we're getting."
Public Works Director Bruce Beese said downtown properties pay more because the streets downtown receive more services. For example, downtown streets are swept three times a week from April through October, while residential streets are swept twice total, once in April and once in October. In the winter, crews also remove snow from curbs downtown; in the neighborhoods, it just piles up.
Beese said the city did cut back on some services, such as street and alley resurfacing, but such measures only kept the increases from being steeper.
Rising prices for salt, asphalt and other supplies accounted for only some of the increases in assessments passed on to property owners, Beese said. "People forget that these services were heavily being supported by reserves, and that was not sustainable," he said. In other words, as for other services, the city for years was dipping into savings accounts to keep fees and taxes low. Righting that imbalance has been a cornerstone of Mayor Chris Coleman's administration. Doing so has meant hiking taxes and fees.
"It's really extortion," Jimmy Sande, a business owner and resident of the Summit-University neighborhood, said after addressing council members. He said that when he received the notice of the 2009 assessments, "as I was reading it, I swear to God, I saw three (public works) guys working with one shovel."
The fees, which the city council approved unanimously Wednesday without comment, will show up as bills in the mail in several weeks. They're due in December.
In other business, the council took a step closer to making it illegal to host a party where alcohol is made available to anyone under 21.
Jean Mulvey, executive director of Minnesota Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the new law would make it easier to target facilitators of underage drinking. She was one of two people who spoke in favor of the proposal.
No one spoke against the so-called "social host law," which has been adopted by 31 Minnesota cities or counties, according to the state Office of Traffic Safety.
If it passes, hosts would be responsible for making sure everyone at their party is old enough to drink legally, police Sgt. Paul Schnell said.
"People will have to make sure who's in their home," Schnell said.
The stricter measure would not apply to unaware property owners, just those who were responsible for planning and hosting the event. It would be a misdemeanor to violate the proposed ordinance, which also carries an exception for drinking during religious observances.
The ordinance is expected to be voted on next week and would go into effect a month later if approved.
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Wednesday, October 7, 2009,
What Is Quo Warranto?
WED 7thOct09
TO REVENUE COMMISSIONER WARD EINESS,ATTORNEY GENERAL LORI SWANSON, CITY CLERK SHARI MOORE, ET AL, MEDIA
ISSUES:
(1) re: City Agenda ,Chris Coleman's Public Trust Violations MS609.43
Kathy Lantry's Bait and Switch Ratification based on Criminal Elements as ROW already is Budget in the Public Works,is Illegally forced on the Citizens without proper notice,due process and 4th Amend Search and Seizure.Kathy Lantry's Search and Seizure MN - Google Search Lantry Answer/Cross/1/2MillionClaim v.CitySt.Paul ,,f,has been forewarned since Jan.207
Wed.7Oct09 Agenda Affinats Rule 24.04 Notice to DFL Lori Swanson AG
47. Resolution - 09-1091 - Ratifying the 2009 Right-of-Way Maintenance Assessment Program. (GS 3074956-Ward 7)
Sharons Objections and Constitutional Challenge to the Citys Bizzare Taxing Method of Fees/Assessments based on Theft by Swindle,91 Chrysler, apparantly "taken" by Manager of Police Impound Lot Aaron Foster,re:
Trailer,personal property,Trespass at 697 Surrey, Treason Denial of Due Process, At War with State and Federal Laws 42 USC 3631 reducing the citizeneryMS 609.385 Treason to Poverty. Then to Ratify CriminaMS 609.645 FalseStatement l Deeds mandates Grand Jury Proceedings or Resignation
EX.1. Taxes 2006 to 2010 iNCOMPASSES APPEAL 62CV09-1163
http://www.slideshare.net/Sharon4Anderson/62cv09-1163-vandenorth-appeal14-sept09attach 609.86, Minnesota Statutes 2006 609.86 COMMERCIAL BRIBERY. Subdivision 1. Definition. "Corruptly" means that the actor intends the action to injure or defraud: (1) the actor's employer or principal; or (2) the employer or principal of the person to whom the actor offers, gives or agrees to give the bribe or from whom the actor requests, receives or agrees to receive the bribe. Subd. 2. Acts constituting. Whoever does any of the following, when not consistent with usually accepted business practices, is guilty of commercial bribery and may be sentenced as provided in subdivision 3:
Tax Statements from 2006 up to and including 2010 "takings" Homestead also
(3) 62CV09-1163 John Vandenorth www.sharon4anderson.wordpress.com contrary to MS555DeclaratoryJudgmentActTO Hon Ward Einess Revenue and Shari Moore
St. Paul City Clerk
Video results for Ward Einess Revenue MN State AG Lori Swanson Rule 24.04 re: 62cv09-1163 and City Agenda 7Ot09
Ward Einess at Ely Department of Revenue Pt. 2 7 min www.youtube.com
Ward Einess at Ely Department of Revenue Pt. 1 3 min 50 sec www.youtube.com Article: Minnesota Revenue BiographicalIssue Positions
(Political Courage Test)Interest Group RatingsCampaign FinancesDepartment Email:
dorweb.comm@state.mn.us
Department Website:
http://www.taxes.state.mn.us/ Department Address 600 North Robert Street Saint Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-296-3403 Phone: 651-556-6003 (comis.)Feb4th09"Einess told legislators, however, that the corporate franchise tax is “a fatally flawed tax.” The tax is extremely volatile from year to year and it’s regressive, he said. And the biggest problem, Einess said, is that it’s a tax on capital."
Ward Einess Politics in Minnesota
