Legislative Hearings

15 West Kellogg Blvd. City of Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN 55102 Minutes - Final Legislative Hearings Marcia Moermond, Legislative Hearing Officer Mai Vang, Hearing Coordinator Jean Birkholz, Hearing Secretary legislativehearings@ci.stpaul.mn.us 651-266-8585 Tuesday, September 3, 2013 9:00 AM Room 330 City Hall & Court House 9:00 a.m. Hearings Special Tax Assessments 1 RLH TA 13-538 Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for Real Estate Project No . J1311A, Assessment No. 138530 at 991 HAWTHORNE AVENUE EAST. (To be amended September 4, 2013) Sponsors: Bostrom Delete the assessment. RE: 991 Hawthorne Avenue East (Single Family) Jeff Flynn and Barry Coom, Fairplay Asset Management LLC, owners, appeared. Mr. Flynn: - they purchased the property from the bank Apr 26, 2013 Inspector Joe Yannarelly: - Summary Abatement issued May 16 with compliance May 21 - re-checked May 21 and found in noncompliance - garbage, rubbish; remove wood, rug, cabinets, broken fence near garage - sent to HSBS Mortgage Services Inc, Brandon, FL; and Occupant - work done May 22, 2013 for a cost of $316 + $160 service charge = $476 Ms. Moermond: - during your period of ownership, Notice was sent to the previous owner - you did not get proper notification - will recommend the City Council delete this assessment Referred to the City Council due back on 9/4/2013 2 RLH TA 13-535 Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for Real Estate Project No . J1306E1, Assessment No. 138308 at 1741 BUSH AVENUE. Sponsors: Lantry Delete the assessment. Notice went to previous owner(s). RE: 1741 Bush Avenue (Single Family) City of Saint Paul Page 1 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 Anthony Lee, owner, appeared. (Mai Vang interpreted.) Inspector Joe Yannarelly: - according to Inspector Seeley, one of theses assessments for Excessive Consumption for Abandoned Vehicles should be deleted ; it's a duplicate - will check on the ownership situation because the names on the Orders don't match Mr. Lee's name Mr. Lee: - bought this property Oct 31, 2012 as rental property from David R. Johnson and Arafat Hassan Elbakri - he got this Notice from the renters Ms. Moermond: - will recommend deleting this assessment - Mr. Lee did not receive proper legal Notice that there was a problem; Notice went to previous owner - Ramsey County was at least 3 months behind in registering Mr. Lee's Contract for Deed Referred to the City Council due back on 9/18/2013 3 RLH TA 13-522 Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for Real Estate Project No . VB1312, Assessment No. 138819 at 759 CHARLES AVENUE. Sponsors: Khaliq Approve the assessment and spread the payments over 3 years. RE: 759 Charles Avenue (Duplex) Birgir Hardee, owner, appeared. Inspector Joe Yannarelly: - Registered Vacant Building fee due for renewal for a cost of $1440 + $155 service charge = $1595 - it's been a Category 2 VB since May 4, 2012 - the Code Compliance Inspection has just been completed; no permits are pulled at this time Ms. Hardee: - had bad renters in there - has done a lot of work already: all new siding; windows are all thermal pane; has a new roof - talked with Mr. Seeger back in Jun 2013; he missed a date to repeal the VB fee - there were a few interior things that needed to be done - asked Mr. Seeger how he'd repeal the VB fee Mr. Yannarelly: - there's plenty to do on the list: electrical, heating, plumbing, etc. Ms. Moermond: - in order to get off the VB list, you need to have the Code Compliance Inspection done and get permits finaled (inspection has been done) - you also have these annual VB fees and in order to make sure that those VB fees get paid, the city won't issue the permits until you pay the VB fee (Mr. Hardee: so, why didn't they tell me that?) City of Saint Paul Page 2 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 - this is Mr. Hardee's 2nd VB fee and she wants to create an incentive for him to get the project done quickly - anniversary date is May 4 Mr. Hardee: - won't be able to get the total project done until next spring Ms. Moermond: - will recommend that the City Council divide this assessment over a 3- year period - asked Mr. Yannarelly to allow Mr. Hardee to pull permits - if you are not completely done next spring, ask the inspector for an extension Referred to the City Council due back on 10/2/2013 4 RLH TA 13-512 Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for Real Estate Project No . J1312A, Assessment No. 138535 at 1233 PAYNE AVENUE. Sponsors: Bostrom Delete the assessment. RE: 1233 Payne Avenue (Fast Food Restaurant-B-Commercial) Dairy Queen Alyssa Vang, Sou Lee's sister, appeared. Ms. Vang: - just purchased the property for tax purposes - Sou Lee is the owner of record; he bought it from the bank - she is not living there yet; it needs a lot of work Inspector Joe Yannarelly: - Summary Abatement of garbage and rubbish issued Jun 5; compliance Jun 11, 2013 - re-checked Jun 12 and found in noncompliance - parks did the work Jun 13, 2013 for a cost of $288 + $160 service charge = $448 - it's a Category 1 Commercial Vacant Building Ms. Vang: - this is the first notice we got - the bank didn't do anything - we need to get permits in order to fix it up - they don't get mail there Ms. Moermond: - when Sou Lee registered this with the county, he put this address (1233 Payne Ave) on their record - he should have registered it under his own address, 255 Maryland Ave W Ms. Vang: - they changed the address to 255 Maryland Ave W Ms. Moermond: - Sou Lee's correct address was not submitted on the forms that were submitted to the county initially - so the mistake at the county was made by you and Mr. Lee; then, it was corrected by you and Mr. Lee - the photo shows dumping of garbage City of Saint Paul Page 3 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 Ms. Vang: - that's not garbage; it's the sand from the digging up of the sewer in the parking lot; this is what we were doing to fix up the building - she talked with Tom, the enforcement officer and told him that they needed about 2 more months to get everything done - the plumbing is done; now, they just need to install the windows and carpeting Mr. Yannarelly: - Aug 28, 2013, Tom Friel waived the VB fee until Oct 15, 2013 Ms. Moermond: - will recommend that this assessment be deleted - Ms. Vang will commit to have the project done in 2 months Referred to the City Council due back on 10/2/2013 5 RLH TA 13-539 Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for Real Estate Project No . J1312A, Assessment No. 138535 at 899 CLARK STREET. Sponsors: Brendmoen Delete the assessment. Property was owned by HUD at time of orders and work order. Referred to the City Council due back on 10/2/2013 6 RLH TA 13-540 Ratifying the Appealed Special Tax Assessment for Real Estate Project No . J1312A, Assessment No. 138535 at 1666 MARYLAND AVENUE EAST. Sponsors: Bostrom Reduce the assessment from $476 to $238. RE: 1666 Maryland Avenue East (Single Family) No one appeared. Inspector Joe Yannarelly: - he spoke with Mr. Foster, owner, who lives in Texas and he says that he received the Vacant Building Registration Notice but not the Summary Abatement Order ; he got the letter but can't be here because he lives in Texas - also spoke with Inspector Nelmark, who attests that he sent both the VB notice and the SA in separate envelopes - it's a new Vacant Building as of Jun 19, 2013 - at the time of the initial inspection, Mr. Nelmark also issued a Summary Abatement for garbage at the property - Summary Abatement for a cost of $316 + $160 service charge = $476 - Orders dated Jun 19, 2013; compliance date Jun 26 - re-checked Jun 26 and found in noncompliance; Work Order sent - work done Jun 28 - Orders sent to Mr. Foster in Fort Worth, TX - he told Mr. Foster that living in Texas is not an excuse for not maintaining his property - currently, there is a SA outstanding: someone dumped some garbage and a grocery cart (Mr. Foster called this morning and said that he got an extension from Mr. Nelmark until the end of the week); Mr. Foster knows someone who will take care of it City of Saint Paul Page 4 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 - not much history; last tall grass complaint was in 2009 Ms. Mai Vang: - read email he received from Mr. Foster that says the same thing: that he received only the VB notice, not the SA Ms. Moermond: - will split it down the middle; it could be his mistake or it could by ours - will recommend reducing the assessment to $238 Referred to the City Council due back on 10/2/2013 11:00 a.m. Hearings Summary Abatement Orders 7 RLH SAO 13-38 Appeal of Rebecca Bertini to a Summary Abatement Order at 872 DULUTH STREET. Sponsors: Bostrom No show; deny the appeal. Referred to the City Council due back on 9/18/2013 8 RLH SAO 13-39 Appeal of Channa R. Pittman to a Summary Abatement Order at 817 MARSHALL AVENUE. Sponsors: Khaliq Rescheduled per owner's request. Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/10/2013 9 RLH SAO 13-37 Appeal of Daniel Simmer to a Summary Abatement Order and Vehicle Abatement Order at 2036 SHERWOOD AVENUE EAST. Sponsors: Bostrom Grant until October 1, 2013 for compliance. RE: 2036 Sherwood Avenue East (Single Family) Daniel Simmer, owner, appeared. Inspector Paula Seeley: - office received a complaint about vehicles and rubbish in the yard to which Inspector Mashuga responded - Aug 8 - inspector sent a Summary Abatement Order and a Vehicle Abatement Order; compliance Aug 16, 2013 - Aug 22 - he sent another set of Orders; compliance Aug 29, 2013 - photos - apparently, Mr. Simmers fixes up cars for demolition derby Mr. Simmer: - inspector told me that Class 5 is no longer accepted as a surface for vehicles City of Saint Paul Page 5 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 - his property receives at least one complaint each year - when you do a demolition derby, you need to remove all the flammables; the flammables are in the large box - all vehicles need to be licensed to him - a demolition derby car doesn't have plates - the pictured vehicle does have current tabs now Ms. Moermond: - asked for an aerial photo Mr. Simmer: - the first Notice said that I had scattered debris in the yard and a trailer of auto parts and a blue car with no plates - the blue car was my neighbor's car; it was parked on my property; about a week earlier, it was parked on the street and someone drove right into it; he was going to have someone tow it away for scrap so, I told him I'd pay for the cadillac converter on it and then, when the derby was through, I'd send it for scrap; he had it on his concrete slab because he has only a 1-car garage and he had a car in there; he had the neighbor's current plates - what was cited as a trailer isn't a trailer, it's just a plywood box - for the flammables; when the derby season is done, he puts the insides back into the cars and sells the car for scrap; he puts a tarp over the box - by the time he got that Notice, the neighbor's car was no longer on the slab; it was in the garage - 2 days after he got the Notice, he called the inspector and left a message saying that he had questions about the Order; he didn't get a call back from the inspector until on the 22nd, he received another letter in the mail - this time, citing him for 2 other cars, one of which had been there the whole time as was the wood that he had been chopping and the stack of tires had been there the whole time, as well; the 2nd car had not been outside the garage before because it had been in a demolition derby - there has been 1 neighbor that has been complaining about smaller things, usually, but every year even though he knows what I do, he still complains; over the years, he's been harassed by that neighbor; he gets a lot of glares and obscene gestures and periodic yelling; he's at his rope's end - he wanted to come here today to say how he felt - trying to take care of the first Order and then getting hit with a bunch of other things that were there the first time Ms. Seeley: - she explained that she had sent Inspector Mashuga out the 2nd time to write up everything else because she got a call that he wasn't doing his job Ms. Moermond: - when a complaint comes in, an inspector must go to check it out - if a complaint is unfounded, no Orders are written; if a complaint is founded, Orders are written - the large storage box for flammables seems to be used as a substitute garage - the inspector first not calling everything and then not returning a call is a problem Mr. Simmer: - a derby car has all of its parts and is operable - he talked with one of the supervisors about the storage box; the supervisor said that if it had a roof and a door, it would be a shed and it wouldn't be an issue Ms. Moermond: - still leaves us with this pile of wood and tarped vehicles parked on an unacceptable City of Saint Paul Page 6 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 surface Mr. Simmer: - he spent the past week sawing and splitting the wood; he talked to another supervisor at the office, who knew what he was supposed to do with it - get it off the ground, stacked no higher than 5 feet and had to be at least 10 feet from the house, which he did do - the large box of parts and tarped vehicle: he does this every year - he loads the car with the interior, asks his neighbors if they have anything that a scrapper might want and gets rid of it - all the cars are his except for the neighbor's car that had been totaled by a drunk driver Ms. Moermond: - even though a demolition car doesn't require license tabs, state law does, as long as it's sitting outside; basically, there's a 90-day grace period to get current tabs onto the vehicle or the city will treat it like an abandoned refrigerator - tabs need to be current if the car is outside and the car needs to appear operable - the wooden box needs to go (Mr. Simmer: it's empty now; all the parts are gone; it can go) - you have the garage and the concrete slab on which to park; if you intend to park more vehicles, you will need more parking space approved by zoning (Mr. Simmer is talking to the city about that) Mr. Simmer: - wanted to bring to the city's attention the history of this and the lack of communication from the inspector, which was very frustrating for him (it was over 3 weeks that he left a message and the 2nd Notice was confusing) - he wanted to do what he needed to do but he couldn't find out what he needed to do until he actually went down to the DSI office - there are no provisions in Saint Paul for people who do motor sports: races/derby/cars, etc. Ms. Moermond: - provided Mr. Simmer with a Neighborhood Handbook - will recommend granting an extension to Oct 1, 2013 Referred to the City Council due back on 9/18/2013 10 RLH SAO 13-36 Appeal of John Knowles to a Summary Abatement Order at 750 FOURTH STREET EAST. Sponsors: Lantry Grant until October 15, 2013 for compliance. RE: 750 Fourth Street East (Duplex) John H. Knowles, owner, appeared. Inspector Paula Seeley: - office received complaint about tall weeds on Aug 13 - inspector went out Aug 19 and sent Summary Abatement - photos taken Aug 26: sees a lot of rank plant growth- saw a lot of thistles, ragweed, milkweed Mr. Knowles: City of Saint Paul Page 7 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 - those photos must be of the wrong house; there are no thistels, no ragweed, no milkweed - entered his photos - has a very small corner house (corner of 4th and Maple); it's the old parish house for the church next door - discussion of his photos - he cut back everything at least 3 feet; left some there because he questioned some of the plants; if he has to cut it all down, he will - has lived in Dayton's Bluff his entire life - people do a lot of dumping in his neighborhood - about 2 years ago, he cut everything back and someone stole his air conditioner from out of his window, so, he'd like to protect his house somewhat - needs a few more weeks to cut down more - some of what some people call "weeds" are actually flowers Ms. Moermond: - people can hide in the overgrowth - pointed out more that needs to be cut - scanned Mr. Knowles' photos - will recommend granting an extension to Oct 15, 2013 Referred to the City Council due back on 9/18/2013 Correction Orders 11 RLH CO 13-29 Appeal of Gregory Murphy to a Correction Notice at 1135 DALE STREET NORTH. Sponsors: Brendmoen Inspector gave owner extension for compliance. Withdrawn 11:30 a.m. Hearings Orders To Vacate, Condemnations and Revocations 12 RLH VO 13-44 Appeal of Ogheueovoh Gbejeowoh to a Revocation of Fire Certificate of Occupancy and Order to Vacate at 1148 MAGNOLIA AVENUE EAST. Sponsors: Bostrom Laid over so that inspector can go and inspect the interior of the building. RE: 1148 Magnolia Avenue East (Single Family) Ogheueovoh Gbejeowoh, tenant, appeared. Fannie May is the owner. Fire Inspector Leanna Shaff: - Revocation of Fire Certificate of Occupancy - received a complaint Jun 6, 2013: gutters falling off; hole dug for window well - not finished - Inspector Tonnancour went out Jun 7, 2013 and noted that the C of O also needed to be completed; he transferred it to the Fire C of O Program City of Saint Paul Page 8 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 - Inspector Tonnancour was also there Jul 1, Jul 23 and Aug 20; wrote exterior Orders; unable to gain access to interior - it's in foreclosure and Carrington Property Services is listed as property manager - Carrington wrote to apologize for missing the appointment and will check with Fannie May maintenance people - things aren't getting done; there's a lot of deferred maintenance - tenant hadn't been told of inspection so access wasn't allowed on Jul 23 Ms. Moermond: - it's not incumbent upon the tenant to allow access Mr. Gbejeowoh: - he did know that the property was in foreclosure - he had signed a lease with Fannie May for 1 year on Nov 30, 2012 - about the middle of this year, he saw a card on the door; it said to call a listed man's name, so he called and said to call back - he came (inspector) while the Appellant was still in bed; the Appellant had just wanted him to call back to find out about these things that he had no idea about; the inspector said he had called but the Appellant didn 't have a message on his phone nor get a call back - had he known about those things, he could have done some of them: 1) he could have moved the car into the garage or onto the street; 2) he could have put on the back screen; 3) he could have put up the gutters; 4) he could do the roof; 5) he could put up the house number; 6) he could paint the trim around the window, etc. - all his plans to move have been for Nov; Fannie Mae's been telling me to move and they won't do anything Ms. Moermond: - sees a couple things that are very important: the folks from the Fire Marshal's Office will want to come in to make sure the house is safe - she is not concerned too much about the things on the outside, from a safety standpoint; only the hole (window well needs to be filled) - the fuel burning test needs to get done #12 - the Appellant needs to find somewhere to live - an inspector needs to gain access to identify life safety issues: check furnace; smoke detectors and CO detectors need to be working - if the inspector goes in and finds some other kind of problem, we will need to go from there - will lay this over for 2 weeks to LH Sep 17, 2013 in order for the inspector to get out there next week; she will identify the worst problems that need to be addressed Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/17/2013 1:30 p.m. Hearings Fire Certificates of Occupancy 13 RLH FCO Appeal of Patricia Palmen to a Correction Notice - Re-Inspection Complaint 13-204 at 1520 ALBANY AVENUE. Sponsors: Stark 9/4/13: Our office did not notified appellant of date and time for hearing. Rescheduled to 9/10/13. City of Saint Paul Page 9 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 9/3/13: No show; deny the appeal. Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/10/2013 14 RLH FCO Appeal of Kathryn Ramirez to a Re-Inspection Fire Certificate of Occupancy 13-198 With Deficiencies at 351 RAMSEY STREET. Sponsors: Thune Inspector need to take photos and owner to provide a work plan. RE: 351 Ramsey Street (Single Family) Kathryn Ramirez and Manuel Ramirez, owners, appeared. Fire Inspector Leanna Shaff: - Fire Certificate of Occupancy inspection process started Jun 19, 2013; Notice was sent May 29, 2013 - as of today, there's no compliance on any of the Orders; they expected Orders to be done within a 90-day window - inspections were conducted by Inspector Jeremy Hall - 9 items: mostly painting, exterior scrape and paint, etc. - no photos Ms. Ramirez: - her husband just recently had a heart attack - they called 2 people for estimates: 1) was so outrageous! (over $10,000); and 2) the 2nd person never showed up - her husband can do some of this himself but they haven't been able to get things together in order to get this accomplished - the person who is actually supposed to do a lot of the work won't be back until Sep 24 Mr. Ramirez: - doesn't recall getting a letter Jul 26, 2013 Ms. Moermond: - some of the things on the list require warmer weather; some of the things can be done in cooler weather - we'll try to get the cold weather things taken care of and let the rest wait awhile Ms. Ramirez: - has questions about what they need permits for; she knows that #8 requires a licensed heating contractors (heating, ventilation, warm air) for the heating facility test Mr. Ramirez: - they were told they needed a licensed contractor to pull a permit for putting in a post Ms. Moermond: - she would feel better after seeing some photos; so, she'll require the inspector to take pictures to see if the house really needs painting - wants the Ramirez' to put together a plan with deadlines on how to tackle this list - the heating test needs to be done pretty soon - most of the list can be covered by a handyman - will lay this over for 3 weeks to Sep 24, 2013 - Ms. Vang will send a letter City of Saint Paul Page 10 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/24/2013 15 RLH FCO Appeal of Doug Ouimet to a Correction Notice-Complaint Inspection at 1467 13-218 SEVENTH STREET EAST. Sponsors: Bostrom Grant the appeal. RE: 1467 Seventh Street East (Multi-Family) Doug Ouimet, Metro Management, appeared. Fire Inspector Leanna Shaff: - Aug 13, the office received a complaint that Unit 111 had an electrical shut-off - Inspector Thomas responded and wrote Orders to have the electrical service restored Mr. Ouimet: - they have the electric shut-off in between tenants - 36-Unit building - the electric shut-off has nothing to do with the heat or the smoke detectors - Inspector Thomas had written them up for this another year - someone rented it for Sep 15, 2013; the electric will be turned back on then - the heat is a zone valve system; the transformers are in the boiler room, not in the tenants' apartments; the power comes from the house power Ms. Moermond: - will grant this appeal; this doesn't affect the other tenants or other units - if the unit is going to be occupied, it must have electric service Referred to the City Council due back on 9/18/2013 2:30 p.m. Hearings Vacant Building Registrations 16 RLH VBR 13-46 Appeal of Donna Sue and Steve Flanders to a Vacant Building Registration Requirement at 707 EDMUND AVENUE. Sponsors: Khaliq Supervisor inspector will do a walk-through of the house to make sure there are no life safety issues. Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/17/2013 17 RLH VBR 13-49 Appeal of Truong Mai to a Vacant Building Registration Renewal Notice at 995 ARCADE STREET. Sponsors: Bostrom Per Rich Singerhouse, a 90 day extension was given. Withdrawn City of Saint Paul Page 11 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 18 RLH VBR 13-50 Appeal of Donald Klemmer to a Vacant Building Registration Notice and Summary Abatement Order at 1060 AVON STREET NORTH. Sponsors: Brendmoen RE: 1060 Avon Street North (Duplex) Donald Klemmer, owner, appeared. Inspector Matt Dornfeld, Vacant Buildings: - opened a Category 2 Vacant Building Aug 21, 2013 per a Condemnation per Ed Smith - the gas and electrical service had been shut off by Xcel Energy in Jul; and the electrical meter had been tampered with at the time - Mr. Smith notes that there have been several complaints regarding an on-going scrapping business; parking vehicles on an unapproved surface; a bright flood light was installed - Mr. Smith had to re-post the Condemnation placards because someone had hung an animal hide in front of the placards - he has spoken with Mr. Klemmer and put him in contact with Kay Wittgenstein - on his re-inspections, he has not found anyone at the property - the yard has been maintained and he hasn't noticed any scrapping going on Ms. Moermond: - there are 3 Orders in front of her: 1) Vacant Building Registration Fee; 2) Summary Abatement Order; and 3) Notice of Condemnation/Order to Vacate - is Mr. Klemmer appealing all 3 of these? Mr. Dornfeld: - the animal hide has been removed so Mr. Klemmer is no longer appealing the SA Order - enforcement has been stayed on the SA Order Mr. Klemmer: - has some fencing material under a blue tarp on the driveway; he doesn't have a garage (white vinyl picket fencing which has yet to be installed) - right now, he doesn't have the time or the money to put up the fence; it's being stored nearly under the tarp in his driveway (Mr. Dornfeld: said he didn't call out the fencing material or the tarp; it's not included in the SA; it's not been complained about) - he has a lot of things going on right now; it probably won't get installed and it isn't a problem to move the fencing material Ms. Moermond: - currently, the fencing is not on the Order; Mr. Klemmer doesn't have to move it but in the future it may by on an Order and we can figure it out then - Xcel said that the Appellant was tampering with their service Mr. Klemmer: - he has not tampered with the service but someone has (Mr. Dornfeld: they clipped off the meters) - his wife of 16 years passed away in Mar 2013; since then, he's been having some personal struggles; his wife needed several life-supporting machines that required power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (power was kept on) - he had no income and there was a very large Xcel bill; things fell apart and dealing City of Saint Paul Page 12 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 with Xcel hasn't been good - he has 5 kids, ages 27-16, and relationships are falling apart with them through the stress - he has a disability; he can't work; his wife was a postal worker and she hadn't worked for 2 years prior to her death because of her illness - he thinks that part of this stems from a neighbor being upset about a trailer being parked in front of his house - he has been trying to make a living doing some scrapping but nothing is being done at his residence regarding the scrapping - is in the process of getting approval for SSI because of his back (his Dr. says he can't work an 8-hour day) - is has applied for Ramsey County Emergency Assistance - he contacted Ramsey Action Program; they have no funding until Oct - he's has always worked since he was a kid; has never had to ask for any assistance - he doesn't have a mortgage on the house - his wife worked part time; she didn't have a pension (was a PDF) - Xcel bill is $2,500 - he bought the house for his wife and kids because she wanted a place for all of them to be together - he needs a place to live, to sleep; the water is still on - now, he can stay with friends while he does repairs - he may be able to sell the car that he bought for his wife but he needs a reliable car, too - he needs some time; time to maybe sell the car and work something out with Xcel - his 67 year old mom helps him out with his minor child (abandonment issues) and financially - now, the city wants $1400 for VB fee; if he would have had $1400, he would have paid Xcel Ms. Moermond: - different sources may be able to patch together funds to come up with the $2,500 - suggested that Mr. Klemmer go to a local bank; he does have his house as collateral; establishing a relationship with a band will be a good thing - the scrapping can't continue; he needs something substantial - suggested caregiver support groups - noted that he may not get SSI because he is partially able to do some stuff - asked about the problem with the neighbors Mr. Klemmer: - he had a lot of family at his house when his wife passed away and the neighbor complained about too many cars being on the street and too much traffic; also, he complains about an old windmill in his yard - that it's too loud; he has had calls on the commercial trailers that he owns; also scrapping on the trailer - the windmill is no squeaking anymore Ms. Moermond: - enforcement is stayed while this is under appeal; no one will be forcing anything; it's all held off until we resolve things here - wants to strike a deal with Mr. Klemmer on some of this - his current days are spent dealing with his some, in sadness and in running back and forth between where he is staying and this house - she want Mr. Klemmer to meet her half way - will hold off on the VB registration fee for a while (he may not have to pay it for a while; perhaps not at all) - will lay over the VB fee, continue it City of Saint Paul Page 13 Legislative Hearings Minutes - Final September 3, 2013 - asked that Mr. Klemmer keep the animal hide down - asked that he keep the yard in good condition as it has been - asked that the trailer not be kept there; and no scrapping on the property - let's not have any reason for a neighbor to complain - wants to see Mr. Klemmer follow up with Kay Wittgenstein again (Mr. Dornfeld: he just sent Kay another email to get an update of where this is at; he's told her that Mr. Klemmer is an excellent candidate for whatever possibly could be done; Matt will stay in the middle of this) - wants to give him a chance to make some contacts and to work some of this out with Kay, who does housing social work; works with people in housing crises - wants to see Mr. Klemmer stay at the house for this next week while some things are sorted through but she doesn't want the neighbors to "freak out"; let's try to keep things very quiet - we will talk in a week - wants him to talk to a local bank to see if he can get a personal loan; perhaps, his mother could co-sign (he doesn't have a job but he has a lot of collateral on the house and the loan would be very small) - he may want to check into a "reverse mortgage" - will lay over to Tue, Sep 10, 2013 LH - Ms. Mai Vang will send a confirmation letter - Mr. Klemmer can live in the house this next week; remove the placards for now, that way the Post Office will deliver mail Mr. Dornfeld: - he will be in touch with Mr. Klemmer and also Kay Wittgenstein Laid Over to the Legislative Hearings due back on 9/10/2013 City of Saint Paul Page 14