St. Louis Park — The City Council on Sept. 15 held a public hearing and approved a resolution to certify delinquent municipal charges to Hennepin County as special assessments if unpaid after the city’s published deadline.

Caitlin (staff presenter) explained the certification process: unpaid utility balances and other invoices tied to a specific property — for example mowing, tree work, snow removal, false alarms and certain citations — can be certified to the county and added to property taxes payable the following year. The city’s process begins in August; notices are mailed to both the service address and the taxpayer address. Hennepin County requires that the municipality provide a 30‑day payment window after adoption of the certification resolution; staff said the city’s internal window is slightly longer. For the 2025 certification cycle the city set Oct. 24 as the last day for affected account holders to make payments and avoid certification.

Caitlin told council that historically the city collects about half of initially delinquent balances during the outreach period; staff reported they had already collected more than 40% of outstanding balances for this cycle.

At the public comment portion of the hearing, longtime resident Faith Riverstone urged earlier outreach and clearer notices so low‑income residents can apply sooner to assistance programs such as Hennepin County water‑assistance and the state property‑tax refund. “One of the identified things that is an issue is that there are no past due notices until this August notice,” Riverstone said. She asked the city to consider sending a 30‑day past‑due notice with contact information and a direct link to assistance resources to give residents more time to apply.

Another speaker, Austin Wilson, said he received two past‑due notices linked to citations issued after his father’s death and said he had not been given time to dispute the charges. Wilson said the notices were addressed to the previous owner and asked staff to explain appeal and dispute procedures; staff and council responded that staff would work with him individually to review his case.

Council members asked staff to confirm whether certified special assessments are eligible for the state’s property‑tax‑refund program and to clarify appeal paths for residents who dispute a charge. Kruger (finance director) said staff would investigate eligibility for the state refund program and follow up with council and the resident.

Council action: after public comment and discussion the council voted to adopt the resolution to certify delinquent charges to Hennepin County if not paid by Oct. 24. Staff said they will continue to work with residents during the outreach window and will report back on refund‑program eligibility and dispute processes.

— The public hearing covered the certification policy and individual public‑comment cases; staff emphasized outreach and advised residents to contact finance staff with questions.