Council hears appeals on two special tax assessments tied to encampment cleanups; both matters laid over for more records

The St. Paul City Council heard two appealed special tax-assessment matters involving cleanup and boarding/securement work at private properties and then voted to lay both items over to Sept. 3 to allow staff to gather additional records.

Item 26 (RLHTA 205306) concerned 992 Arcade Street, where the Department of Safety and Inspections assessed an emergency contractor charge (listed in staff materials as $654) for securing doors after a suspected arson. Owner Neng Hu Mo testified he believed he had secured parts of the building himself and said an officer told him he would not be charged; hearing officer Marsha Worman told council the city’s contractor had in fact secured doors and that windows on the first level had previously been boarded by the owner. Worman said the city’s securement in this case involved screwing doors shut rather than boarding with painted boards that carry city dates, and she acknowledged a possible communication gap.

Separately, Item 50 (RLHTA 2096) involved 815 University Avenue West, where city staff documented a large cleanup of a homeless encampment and a subsequent cleanup of remaining debris. Hearing materials listed a cleanup cost and service charge totaling $11,940. Property owner Greg Ryan described long-term maintenance burdens on the lot and said he was told by officers the city would take care of the cleanup; he said notification letters arrived after crews had already worked on the site.

In both hearings councilmembers pressed staff for clearer records, photographic evidence and confirmation of which actions were undertaken by city crews versus private contractors. Given outstanding questions about timing, messaging to owners and the city’s incident records (some of which were reportedly affected by a recent cyber incident), council agreed to a two-week layover to Sept. 3 to allow staff to retrieve supporting documentation.