St. Paul Park council approves part-time community service officer at $20 an hour

The City of St. Paul Park City Council voted 3-0 Thursday to approve filling a part-time Community Service Officer (CSO) position at a starting wage of $20 per hour and to post the vacancy.

The move, made as new business after the council approved a consent agenda, aims to return ordinance-enforcement capacity to the city and reduce time municipal police officers spend on noncriminal code-enforcement matters.

City Administrator Walsh said the $20 hourly rate is accounted for in the 2025 CSO budget and that the action authorizes the city to post the vacancy. “It’s to go out for posting,” Walsh said. The council then voted to adopt the item with a 3-0 tally.

Why it matters: Council members and the police chief described the CSO role as a front-line code-enforcement position that answers complaints, performs visible inspections from the street or alley, issues documented notices and — when needed — initiates court citations if property owners do not return to compliance. Council members said staffing the position would free sworn officers to focus on higher-priority calls.

During an extended discussion, the police chief explained how the complaint and enforcement process works. “If the complaint is not observed by the CSO, then it needs to be reported to us … the preference would be you call…