City of St. Paul Park council hears Rum River presentation on Neighborhood Services ordinance, tables related ordinances

The City of St. Paul Park City Council on March 16 heard a detailed presentation from Rum River Consultants about a proposed Chapter 18 "Neighborhood Services" ordinance that would consolidate building-code administration, a citywide rental-licensing program and new fire operational permits, then voted to table several related ordinances for further review.

Rum River's Andy Schroeder, the firm's chief building official, told the council the ordinance would bring local code language up to current Minnesota State Building Code standards and make the city's approach to housing and property maintenance more consistent. "When in doubt, fill it out," Schroeder said, urging residents and contractors to begin a permit application if they are unsure whether a permit is required. Schroeder and Carrie Levitsky, Rum River's senior advisor for government relations, said administering the program would be funded by user fees tied to permits and inspections rather than general taxes.

Why it matters: The ordinance would create a single, neighborhood-focused framework for property standards and enforcement. Rum River said the revised Chapter 18 would apply a uniform rental-licensing structure across single-family and multifamily rentals, require regular inspections of rental units, add tenant protections including a no-retaliation provision, and adopt a clearly specified edition of the International Property Maintenance Code by reference.

During their overview, consultants said the Stevens Ridge project produced approximately $1,100,000 in savings and staff recommended returning those funds to the originating enterprise accounts (sewer, water). City administrator Hugo McPhee described the savings as current funds and said assessments would continue to be collected over time to rebuild balances where needed.

Details of the proposed programs: Rum River estimated the city contains about 1,800 residential properties, roughly 232 of which are rentals (about 21% of housing). The consultants projected roughly 190 initial rental inspections per year (about three inspector-weeks distributed across inspection cycles) and said the first reinspection would be included in the license cost. They also explained the difference between a designated building official (local role) and delegated authority (state delegation for certain plan reviews); Rum River said it currently holds plumbing-plan-review delegations in 17 jurisdictions and that Saint Paul Park would be the 18th if approved, a change the consultants said improves review turnaround times.

Fire-code changes: The presentation also described two kinds of fire-code permits: construction permits (for physical work such as sprinklers or alarms) and operational permits (ongoing inspections and maintenance for uses such as high piled storage, welding, mobile food trucks and some manufacturing operations). Rum River said it extracted about 50 potential nonresidential properties from county data for targeted follow-up and proposed creating building information signs and preplans to help first responders. "This program is paid for by the user," Schroeder said of operational permits, adding that inspection frequency would be adjusted by risk level.

Council questions and staff context: Council members asked whether the fee model is constrained by the consultant agreement and who sets fees. Rum River said the city council sets the fee schedule by ordinance (Chapter 42) and the consulting agreement establishes revenue-sharing percentages and minimums; the city ultimately approves fees. Council members also pressed about whether inspections would be proactive or reactive; Rum River said the intention is to be proactive to reduce common hazards such as missing extinguishers or blocked exits. City staff described the approach as collaborative and educational, saying the city had dubbed the initiative "Neighborhood Services" to emphasize partnership with landlords, tenants and businesses rather than relying solely on enforcement.

Outcome and next steps: After discussion and a review period by the city attorney, Mayor moved to take Ordinance 784, Ordinance 785, Ordinance 786 and the related resolutions (17-68, 17-70, 17-71, 17-72) as a slate and table them; the motion passed 5-0. Staff and Rum River will provide the council with the presentation packet for review, and consultants said they would return with implementation detail (property lists, inspection cycles, sample mailings) if the ordinances are taken up again. Rum River suggested initial notification mailings could be issued as early as June 1 if the council adopts the ordinance and sets fees.

The meeting record shows staff noted the City Attorney was reviewing the proposed ordinance language; no ordinances were adopted at the March 16 meeting. The council proceeded to routine committee reports and adjourned.