Council to order.

Roll call, please.

Johnson here.

Joseph?

Here.

Kim?

Here.

Yang.

Here.

Here.

Coleman.

Here.

Council President Agar.

Here.

Seven present, not absent.

Welcome everyone.

Thank you so much for joining us at our city council meeting today.

We invite everyone to join us in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Consent agenda items one through thirteen are before you for your consideration.

I know that we are pulling item thirteen for separate consideration.

Is there anything else to come up with consent?

All right, and because we do have one uh member, Councilmember Johnson, who is joining us remotely today while still on maternity leave.

Uh kudos to Councilmember Johnson.

Um who has been participating like it's hard to believe you've been on maternity leave uh this whole time.

Um we will be taking every vote as a roll call vote, and I will probably forget that a number of times.

Um since Is there anything else to come off of consent?

See none.

I'll take a motion from Ms.

Yang to approve the balance of the consent agenda roll call, please.

Johnson Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Hi.

Hi.

Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Aker.

Hi.

So I haven't in favor, non-opposed, the consent agenda is adopted as amended.

Item number 13 is resolution 2626-365, electing the officers of the city council, council committees, and appointing council members to the audit committee.

Uh, and I just wanted to pull this off of consent really to say thank you to all of my fellow council members for stepping up into leadership in so many different ways.

We started something new last year, which was to share leadership much more broadly across our council, making sure that um all or many of us have chairmanship, chairwomanships, vice chairwomanships of different boards and committees um spreading out the power, making sure we're building a pipeline of leadership and um really empowering all of us to to be part of so many different aspects of our work.

Um we also started something new at the end of last year, which was to revisit at the end of every year, whether or not we want to continue in the leadership roles we're in, whether we want to take on new leadership roles.

Um, you know, previously that was something that was just fixed until uh major transitions happened, and I think it's really important to have that opportunity to revisit every year.

Um so I want to thank all of my colleagues who are stepping up.

Um I want to thank my colleagues for the honor of continuing to serve as council president.

It's something I take very seriously.

Um, and uh I wanted to say a special thank you to council vice president uh Lashang Kim, who is not going to be council vice president anymore as of this resolution, but who has been an incredible partner leader through some unbelievably challenging times, and I've been so grateful for your partnership.

Um so I will make the motion.

Is there a discussion of the I will make the motion for version two?

Um, so discussion of the motion.

Ms.

Yang.

Um I will yield and continue to council.

Vice President Kim.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Um I just had a few things to say.

It's just been a profound honor to serve as council vice president over the last two years, and not only in a council leadership capacity, but also as the vice chair of the budget committee.

And as the interim budget committee chair, I established a new budget process with our budget officer Kamud, um, one that was praised as the best one ever, and requested um to be replicated for the library in HRE.

Um, not only that, but I found budget solutions for every single one of our council priorities, something that I'm profoundly proud of.

And as I step down from this role, I do so with full confidence and support in Councilmember Yang.

She's one of our longest serving council members, leading the city on progressive legislation and her tenure, and one of the hardest working colleagues who just gets the work done.

Councilmember Yang is a tireless advocate and organizer who spent her career showing up for Eastside residents and fighting for immigrant and working class families.

As, and I know I know Chair Johnson is sort of like competing with this now, but as our youngest council members and the first Hmong American woman elected to this body, she represents exactly the kind of leadership our city needs to keep vulnerable residents at the center of every single decision that we make.

I have long held the belief that investing in the growth and leadership of every council member makes us a stronger, more effective body for St.

Paul, and ultimately better serving the residents of our city.

And this voluntary transition of leadership reflects that belief in action.

Thanks, Vice President.

Ums Yang.

Thank you, Council Council President.

I know we still have to take the vote, but I did want to make my comments.

And um, thank you, Council Vice President Kim, for your very kind and encouraging words.

I am excited to work alongside you, Council President, as um as your council vice president, and it it really is an honor to work alongside you.

I mean, when I first came on to the council five years ago, I was the newest council member, and now I'm the second most veteran, and I I never thought that um it would be this way, but it has been such a beautiful journey for me to serve in a council that is an all-woman city council, uh, for us to um see history be made this year in electing our first among American mayor, among American woman mayor as well.

And um, and I have such deep respect for you, like you are somebody who is so wise, so kind, and always willing to have a listening ear to everybody, like no matter what their thoughts and opinions are.

Um, and that's especially important for for a leader to be someone who is open to listening to everyone and giving them that space, especially in government.

And so I'm very excited to work alongside you, and I want to say thank you, Council Council Vice President Kim, for your leadership.

I have learned so much from you, and I'm so inspired by you.

And I just want you to know that you did the work so seamlessly.

You have a natural ability to lead and to connect with people and to really make an impact by always leading with your heart.

And that has been deeply felt in all of the work I've seen you done, even as a legislative aide during your time here prior to being a council member in the nonprofit that you lead every single day, and in the role that you took as our council vice president and your willingness to even step in for me as the budget chair when I was on maternity leave.

And you also did that very seamlessly.

And I also want to echo the the incredible just system, I would say the beast that we created in the in the budget committee to really have a system where all council members are heard, they have an opportunity to really understand what is being presented to us, also to make amendments and to offer um their thoughts and opinions, which I just want to name that when I came in as a new council member, it was always really hard to figure out like you know, how do I how do I navigate such a big system?

Um I don't I have to just insert myself in somewhere, you know.

But it always is so much the transition is always better when we do build systems that actually are supporting council members who sit here at this table.

And I um I have such deep respect for you for your commitment to that work, and I will miss having you as our council vice president, but I am I know that you're just an office away from me.

And I thank you for always opening up a space for me to be able to connect with you about our work and doing that in a judgment-free zone and always being willing to be a sounding board.

You really um when I when I mentioned that you inspire me to lead and to show a powerfully in this role, you really do because I have learned deeply from you about you know what I how I want to show up as a council vice president.

And so I want to know that your your work is um very very meaningful and um that you've made such a huge difference in leading our council here as council vice president.

I am very grateful to um my colleagues here for your your trust and um just your confidence in me and my leadership and also my partnership.

I uh am coming into this role committed to being a team player to be culturable and to learn from all of you because one thing that I know is that I never came into my role as a council member here to know everything and to act as if I knew everything.

I mean, I ran for office when I was 23 years old, and if anything, people always ask me, Well, how are you gonna be a listener?

How are you?

You know, how are you gonna be how are you gonna know everything?

And I'm like, actually, I didn't run, I'm not running to know everything, but I'm running because I know that there is such deep wisdom and that there's so many experts in our communities, and that when we can actually when we can bring all of them together, that's actually how we build this city that is strong, functioning, and can sustain itself.

And I've always believed in that and led and all of that and share that with everybody because I think it's very important for people to know that to you know be a council vice president, to be a council member, to be a leader, to do anything.

We don't have to be perfect, we don't have to know everything.

You just have to really lead with heart and courage, and that's what I'm excited to continue bringing with me in this role here.

Um, also I'm excited and committed to being a listener, listen being a listener to all of you, to be your sounding board, to make sure that we're moving along items in a council here that we care deeply about, and I know there's many of them.

You know, we've had retreats about them, many conversations about them, and so I'm ready for this year to be a year where we continue, um, where we continue just really cruising through on that momentum and actually really building even more momentum to get more things done, especially really decent deep systemic changes in the council here.

Um, and most importantly, to be a strong steward for all of us.

I mean, I these are all things that I've listed because when I you know in my role as a council member, these are all things that I would want, you know, from anybody in leadership roles on our council here, no matter what, but budget committee we're talking about what committee we're talking about or what role we're talking about.

And um, so I'm very grateful to to my colleagues here for your support.

And I just want to name that when I came onto the council five years ago.

I mean, things have looked have looked really different from for me.

Um, that during that time I was not married, I didn't have children, but then now I am married.

My husband Kong, he is incredible, he's so supportive.

I also have three kids who are three and under.

And one of my favorite questions is when people ask me, how do you do it?

And honestly, it is it is survivor mode, being a parent, we are always in survival mode, but my heart and my will and just this this willingness to always hustle and get things done, and to most importantly, be fighting for our Ward Six representatives, residents, and then also be a champion for you all, and and being a supporter and partner to you and your work too has always been at the center of my heart, and I carry that with me.

And I also wouldn't be able to even do my work as a council member without the village around me.

And so, in taking on the council vice president rule, I just want to be really transparent that it's my village, my in-laws, my parents, my husband who are taking care of um my children that really make this possible.

And so anything that we do, we always have to have that support network, and this is context that I share because it's something that I believe we all can relate to.

You know, just not just even talking about the council vice president role here, but in our life, we need that support network, and we deserve to have that, you know, in our own lives.

The people that we fight and represent to every single day, they deserve to have that too.

And one thing that I am really holding deep in my heart is that no matter what our roles are, the hats that we wear as maybe a parent, um uh or you know, being a professional in our field, a council member, like we have hopes and dreams that are worth fighting for too.

And I know very clearly that this year um that that my calling is to be a council vice president, really ushering along the things that we care deeply about and being uh an advocate and a champion for us at the council here.

So I want to say thank you again to all of you, and I'm so excited to see every single person on our council here be taking on a leadership role, whether it's a chair role, a vice chair role, and that is significantly different from how things were when I was on the council five years ago.

And so I'm so proud of all of us, and I want to say thank you for your leadership in our city here and our council, and thanks to my staff as well in the ward six office because I know that in taking on this role, there's gonna be a huge heavy lifting for them too.

But I have full confidence in their work, and they have shown up so strong.

So again, I'm really excited for the work ahead.

Um thank you so much, Ms.

Yang.

I just want to note for our uh tech services folks that we seem to have lost visuals of councilmember Johnson, so I hope we can get that back.

Um again, Council of Vice President Kim to you, thank you so much uh on your way out of leadership.

Councilmember Yang to you.

So excited to work with you.

Um you are a uh critical thinker, you care deeply, and you pay attention, and those three qualities don't always coexist in the same person.

Um it's one of the reasons why I so enjoy working with you, and why I'm really excited to continue doing that.

Um, you also said when we first talked about you coming into this role that you, as you just said, really want to help other council members advance their priorities, and that really um resonated with me because that is so important, and it's something that um as the longest serving council members, it is strange to suddenly find yourself in a position where you are in that where you are the longest serving council members and where others are looking to you, but um you're you're ready for it, you're more than ready for it, and I'm really grateful that you're willing to give your time to help other people um advance their work and to help all of us do better for our constituents.

So thank you.

Um, and I'm really again to all of our colleagues, um, councilmember Johnson stepping up as budget chair in addition to HRA chair, that's gonna be a huge amount of work.

Thank you for doing that and for continuing to lean in um throughout your maternity leave and I know beyond councilmember Bowie for chairing our public safety committee now coming into its second year, a brand new committee that you started.

Um, thank you for that, Councilmember Coleman.

Um, becoming a vice chair just a few months into being a council member at all during some very uh tumultuous months as a council member.

Thank you for being willing to step up.

Um, and to council member Joast for serving as a chair uh of our HRA for the last few months, um, for attending our leadership team meetings for the last few months, and then for serving as library board chair into the future, it really um is so important to have uh your voice, your thinking at the table and in leadership.

So thank you.

Any other discussion of the motion?

Seeing none, uh roll call, please.

Johnson Jo?

Hi, Kim.

Hi, Yang.

I Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Acker.

Hi.

So everyone in favor, non-opposed, the resolution is adopted as amended.

Item number 14 is final adoption of ordinance 26-9, adopting the geothermal energy franchise by the Heights Community Energy Inc.

And as we move into the uh ordinance section of our agenda, you'll notice that there's some items at different stages.

Um, we always have three readings of ordinances, we have a staff report at a first reading, we have a public hearing at our second reading, and then on the last, the third reading, we have ordinances up for final adoption.

So ordinances that you see in front of us in this section have already had at least two readings, including a public hearing.

This item is before us for final adoption.

I would look to uh vice president Yang for a motion.

I'm very excited to support this.

I I mentioned in our um in the first reading that there's been so much work put behind this um from our community partners or the poor as well, and um excited to move it forward.

So I move approval of it.

That's the motion for approval.

Any discussion of the motion?

Seeing none roll call, please.

Johnson.

Aye.

Joe's Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Aye.

Bowie.

Aye.

Coleman.

Aye.

Council President Acre.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed, the ordinance is adopted.

Item number 15 is final adoption of ordinance 26-11.

Granting authority to the port authority to issue and sell bonds in the principal amount of six million dollars and any bonds to refund such bonds to secure such bonds with a pledge of the full faith credit and resources of the city and to use the proceeds derived from the sale of such bonds to pay for the cost and expenses necessary to be incurred by said port authority for a portion of the cost of the redevelopment of part of the St.

Joseph's hospital site.

And although you might not have grasped that from the title of this item, uh this is a very um meaningful and exciting development for downtown St.

Paul.

We are talking about six million dollars of public investment yielding roughly 60 million dollars of taxable value on a key opportunity site for downtown.

Grateful to the Port Authority for their leadership and partnership on this.

Um I would move approval.

Is there any discussion of the motion?

Seeing non roll call, please.

Johnson.

Aye, Joseph.

Kim.

Aye.

Yang.

Aye.

Aye.

Coleman.

Aye.

Council President Naker.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The ordinance is adopted.

Item number sixteen is final adoption of ordinance twenty-six-12, amending chapter section 310.01 of the legislative code to create a new fee categories for associated license fees for transportation network companies.

This item is before us for final adoption.

I would look to Vice President Yang for a motion.

Yeah, I just want to make quick comments and say thank you again to our DSI staff.

They worked so hard on this and engage with many of our transportation network companies to put together these amendments in front of us.

I also want to say thank you to the businesses that have stepped forward to share with our staff and really to many of us just the challenges that they're facing.

And I'm so excited and proud that with this change that we will be approving that we can ensure more businesses, especially our small transportation network companies can continue operating in the city of St.

Paul.

So with that, I move approval.

Great.

Thanks, Vice President Yang is our discussion of the motion.

Ms.

Bowie.

Thank you, Chair or Chair.

President Maker.

Um, I just want to say congratulations.

I will be supporting this item, but you know, it really was impressive just seeing how you navigated all departments and also um bringing forth a business owner here and learning more about the business.

I actually, after that meeting, had a chance to see him at a fundraiser, and he was just so joyful about just like seeing how city councils just taking action.

So it's just really it's really incredible for people to see like the impact, right?

And you know, certain ideas coming through this council and actually get it to the finish line.

So just wanted to say I appreciate your work on that.

Vice President Yang.

Thank you, Council President.

I um thank you for that, Councilmember Bowie.

I want to give a shout out to Marie from Move, the transportation network company that came and presented to us during our policy committee.

And I know that they will be so ecstatic upon seeing our approval for this.

Great.

Any other discussion of the motion?

All right.

Uh seeing none, roll call, please.

Johnson.

Jose.

Aye.

Kim.

Aye.

Yang.

Aye.

Bowie.

Aye.

Coleman.

Aye.

Council President Naker.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The ordinance is adopted.

Take a motion from Ms.

Kim to suspend the rules to consider ordinance 26-18 about pre-eviction notice.

Uh roll call, please.

Johnson.

Jose?

Aye.

Yang.

Aye.

Bowie.

Aye.

Coleman.

Aye.

Council President Acre.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The rules are suspended.

Ordinance 26-18 amending section 193.04 of the legislative code to temporarily extend the pre-eviction notice period in section 193.04 from 30 days to 60 days.

Ms.

Kim.

Awesome.

All of our colleagues should have a copy with them at the table.

I'm just gonna read some brief comments that also are sort of a dare we say a tiny but mighty staff report.

Um so myself and councilmember Coleman and Council Vice President Yang, we are bringing bringing this item under suspension because the situation facing immigrant families in St.

Paul right now does not afford us the luxury of a normal legislative time.

I want to thank the council president for also approving this and making this a priority to be brought forward in front of council.

I also want to extend gratitude to our city attorney's office to look at the language and to help, as I think most usually just be really great lawyers on this type of issue.

This ordinance temporarily extends the pre-evection filing notice from 30 days to 60 days, giving affected families a meaningful buffer to access rental assistance, mutual aid, and legal support before a landlord can initiate the formal eviction proceedings.

It automatically sunsets on December 31st, 2026, at which point the 30-day notice requirement is restored without any further action by this body.

We are responding to a crisis layered on top of a pre-existing one.

Before Operation Metro Surge, Ramsey County has been seeing higher and higher rates of eviction filings since the pandemic.

We've already seen a high higher number of filings in January and February than this time last year.

Rental assistance programs across the twin cities are over over prescribed and pale to meet the needs of renters at risk of eviction.

In St.

Paul, the majority of these filings and the underlying housing crisis is being felt most acutely by residents of the East Side and the North End.

We have yet to see the full impact of Operation Metro surge on the financial conditions driving evictions filings have only intensified.

In January alone, 501 evictions were filed in Ramsey County, and we know that the majority of eviction filings are due to non-payment of rent.

Evictions have a long-term have long-term negative impacts on families, including limiting their ability to find housing stability or even quality housing moving forward.

Last year, as part of the tenant protections package led by Chair Johnson and the council, we passed a 30-day pre-eviction filing notice requirement for non-payment of rent.

The ordinance had an effective date of one year after passage, which is May 14th of this year.

The council is also allocating funding in the budget for staff to help enforce the ordinance.

And recently, under the um incredible leadership of Chair Johnson, we were adding additional funds to the emergency rental assistance fund.

The city is on track to hire staff in those positions around the same time that this ordinance goes into effect.

This timeline of this extension, if passed, would also follow that same timeline.

St.

Paul residents have been asking for meaningful and material support for months as federal immigration agents descend on our city, and we've been working to meet the growing needs.

Mutual aid funds for families are being organized and shared.

Nonprofit partners and other local governments are reporting increased interest and rental assistance or financial assistance program.

This council voted last week to increase funding in our emergency rental assistance programs by 1.42 million.

Families also deserve enough time to access assistance or mutual aid resources without facing eviction.

This is not an eviction moratorium.

It does not cancel rent, it does not relieve tenants of their legal obligations.

It doesn't change the eviction process or change our enforcement mechanisms.

Under state statute, an inteller tenant protection ordinance is in effect.

Landlords currently have to provide a 14-day notice before filing an eviction of non-payment for rent.

This is not nearly enough time for a renter to find a program or mutual aid fund, apply and process the application, and disperse funds within enough time to meet that deadline.

An extended notice period provides a crucial buffer for residents to seek financial assistance.

This is a targeted, time-limited response to an extraordinary crisis.

And I believe it's one of the most direct and meaningful things this body can do today to protect our neighbors.

Thank you, Ms.

Kim.

And thank you for giving the council member staff report.

Are there questions for Ms.

Kim?

Ms.

Bowie.

Thank you, President Acker.

Well, appreciate sponsoring this.

I really see this as meaningful change.

I do have a question, particularly because you were referencing the um the to the protections or rent stabilization changes that we made last year.

So for this extension, um for the extension, someone would have to well, this will go into effect May 14th.

This goes into effect 30 days from today.

Well, 30 days from from today, but the rent the changes for the 30-day notice goes in effect May 14th.

So would this be would the 30-day notice be the 60-day notice be from today, or not today, but like after this is passed, or I'm just trying to understand if this is like kind of putting the card before the horse.

I'm just trying to reference the rent stabilization change to the 30-day notice requirement that's already adopted in our ordinance.

Yep.

So this would be enacted like essentially one month before that.

And so communications moving forward to inform landlords would be that we have changed the designation for the next six months from 30 days to 60 days.

So the timing part of it as well is that the staffing needed to enforce our tenant protections is also kind of co-linearly being hired.

And so it's to name that both our enforcement mechanism and our in implementation date.

Um, we are on track to sort of meet both of those with this change.

So it's to name there isn't any change to sort of like the flow of work, but what would need to change is the um outreach and engagement to ensure that landlords understand that we are giving them until the end of this year the pre eviction extent, the deadline to be changed from 30 to 60 days.

Yeah, that's a great question.

Thank you.

And just one point of clarification.

We do have three readings at least for an ordinance before it's adopted.

So the 30 days would begin as soon as it is adopted.

Thank you and signed by the mayor.

Um so it would be a little bit after today.

Yeah, yes.

Um, but yes, thank you for the the questions.

Um I see um Ms.

Johnson and then Ms.

Justin Thank you so much.

Um Council Vice President, Kim, I appreciate you for bringing forth this topic, you know, as the lead author of tenant protections as well as so as um a council member who's been pretty dedicated towards relief for our renters.

I you know, I am overall supportive of the step to respond to this urgency and going from 30 days to 60 days.

I do want to dig in a little bit further to that, uh, to some of the points that council member raised.

I also had reached out just because I would have loved to have been a part of this part.

Just I think from a from a background in, we have a couple of things that we'll need to do before this uh third reading, the final adoption phase um to ensure that though that we're actually looping in all the folks that need to but be beyond that, super supportive of this space um and making this step.

I am curious if the current language reflects that.

And I just want to flag that I think we'll need to specify the change that you're anticipating.

Um because the three days won't be in effect by the time this passes.

And so it'll be changing the 14-day uh requirement currently to 60 days.

Um unless we align the tenant protections off, it's not currently in place.

So that's one piece that I just saw when reviewing this.

Um the language itself doesn't amend the current language, it amends the language that was passed for tenant protections, which is not currently in place until May 14th of this year.

Yeah, that's a great flag.

We I think had intended obviously on bringing this forward much earlier.

So that's a great flag, and we can revisit that.

I would consider that a friendly amendment, if not a scribbiner's error.

So I appreciate that flag.

And this is a good one.

Uh this is before us for first reading.

Obviously, all of us can bring amendments um at any point from now through the process.

Um, but I appreciate the questions for clarification, Ms.

Jost.

Um I was just clarifying the three readings of 30 days of passage last code adoption.

Um and just, oh, uh quickly, Ms.

Ms.

Yang, just to clarify this would only apply to um evictions for non-payment of rent.

Um, the notice period for evictions because of major lease violations or things that compromise the safety of neighbors, things like that remain unchanged by this is my understanding.

Correct.

Okay.

Vice President Yang.

Thank you, Council President.

I am uh I am excited to you know to hear more from our residents during the public hearing.

And do you want to name that this is a change that I'm very supportive of.

I want to uh thank you, Council um Council Vice President.

I'm gonna keep calling you council vice president.

Hopefully that's okay.

Um, council vice president for um for your leadership in leading this.

I also want to give uh a shout out to council member Minneapolis Councilmember member Robin Wunsley who had reached out to both of our offices um with uh and asked for partnership for us to move this um along with Council Member Coleman um office to move this in St.

Paul here.

And uh they're doing the same in Minneapolis too.

So this week they're having their final vote um on this, and I just really wanted to uplift that um how that a partnership is really um uh creating just such deep progress in our communities.

I mean, right now there are still many families who are living in fear um during Operation Metro Surge, and I know there's news about how you know we're seeing less and less activity, but um the truth is that there's families again still living in fear, and families who have not had um an income earner come back to their home yet who is it detained right now.

Like there are families I'm in touch with right now who are still waiting for their loved one to come back, and we don't know when they are coming back.

And so this is so serious and so relevant.

Um, and I um I'm excited for this to move forward.

Thanks, Vice President Yang.

Ms.

Coleman.

Thank you, uh President Meaker.

I will keep this very short and just um again, thank council member Kim for your leadership on this.

That is going to take a long time to get used to.

Um and I think the only thing that I want to say today is that what we have heard time and time again from everybody in our community is that the most important thing that we can be doing is getting money out the door to support those who have been impacted by Operation Metro Surge.

I shared this at last week, but I don't think it can be repeated often enough.

We have had over a hundred million dollars in lost wages in the twin cities in just the last few months alone.

I think every single person in this room knows somebody who has been unable to work, somebody, a family where a primary breadwinner was taken and it hasn't returned.

People who are still in hiding, we had tons of thousands of families that were in hiding in this region.

We know that many of those folks are not yet feeling safe to go back to life as usual.

This is a crisis that is incredibly unique.

Um just I will say over and over again the most important thing that we can be doing is getting cash into the hands of people who have been impacted.

And so I think the most important step that we have taken as a council under Chair Johnson's leadership is to increase our funding available in our emergency rental assistance program.

I know that we are not alone in doing that, that other government entities are doing that, that the philanthropic sector is doing that, although I hope to see them doing more of it, that mutual aid is flowing in for those purposes to Minnesota from across the country.

But what is challenging is that it takes time to get that money out the door.

It takes time as we have had this conversation about our emergency rental assistance program.

It just isn't something that we can do overnight to move millions of dollars.

It is challenging.

It takes time.

And I think what is so important about this ordinance is that is it is a compliment to that effort.

It's not like uh Councilmember Kim said in the you know, we what we are not doing is saying that rent isn't owed.

What we are not doing, this is not an eviction moratorium.

Rent will need to be paid.

We are committed to getting funds in the hands of folks who need assistance in paying rent, and this just gives us more time to make that possible.

Thanks, Ms.

Coleman.

Um, any further just discussion?

Otherwise, this will lay over till next week for a public hearing.

All right.

The item is laid over to March 11th for second reading public hearing.

Item number 17 is ordinance 26-16, granting the application of XL Energy to rezone property at 325 Commercial Street from H1 residential to I1 light industrial and amending chapter 60 of the legislative code pertaining to the zoning map.

And because this is a first reading, we will have a staff report.

Welcome up, Mr.

Hankerson from our planning and economic development department.

Thank you, Council President and Council members.

Excuse me while I yeah, and while you get set up, um, it's gonna be very confusing.

A couple of items here based on what I said about first reading and then public hearing the next week.

Um, in this case, there was actually a slight error, and there was a public hearing notice for this week.

So even though this is the first reading, um, we will we'll have a staff report.

We will also hold a public hearing because the public hearing was noticed, and then we will still have another public hearing.

We will continue the public hearing to next week's second reading to kind of keep with our traditional cadence, but be a little bit untraditional to have a public hearing for the first reading.

Welcome up.

Yes, thank you for your flexibility working through those issues.

Okay, so this zoning application, PED res 000 242 2025 is an application to rezone property from H1 residential to I1 Light Industrial at 325 Commercial Street.

The property proposed to be rezoned is located at 325 Commercial Street in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood and ward seven east of downtown and beneath the I-94 overpass.

Land use and zoning in the area is um highway, the interstate 94 to the north, zone H1.

Industrial use to the east, zone I-1, park use to the south, zoned H1, and railroad uses to the west zoned I-1.

Some images of the surrounding properties.

And as stated before, the application is to rezone property from H1 residential to I-1 light industrial.

Um the applicant intends to expand the Dayton's Bluff electric substation that they own and operate adjacent to the parcel.

There are two findings that we evaluate for rezonings.

Um, in this case, the proposed I1 zoning is consistent with the comprehensive plan.

The 2040 comprehensive plan designates the future land use of the parcel as industrial and transportation.

And the uses allowed in the proposed I-1 zoning district are compatible with the future land use designation.

And the rezoning contributes to orderly and predictable development.

The uses allowed in the I-1 zoning district, including industrial utilities, transportation, and park uses are complementary to the uses in the surrounding area.

The staff recommendation was approval of the rezoning of property from H1 residential to I1 light industrial.

The zoning committee recommended approval 5-0 and planning commission recommended approval to the council unanimously.

The district for planning council did not submit a letter of recommendation and there were no letters of support or opposition.

Happy to answer any questions.

Great.

Thank you so much for the presentation.

Are there any questions?

Not seeing any.

All right.

Thank you so much.

And even though, again, this is a first reading because we had a public hearing notice, we will hold a public hearing on this item.

So for this and all of our public hearings, when I call the public hearing, if you're here to testify on that item, we ask that you come to the front, stand in between the two microphones.

You don't need to adjust them or lean towards them.

They should pick you up just fine as is.

Two minutes do go by quickly, and my job is to keep everyone to the two minutes, which isn't a lot of fun.

Um, but there is a timer right in front of you, so we ask that you uh try to keep yourself to two minutes.

Um and then there's lots of other ways to give us testimony, including in writing, uh, if you do run out of time.

So this is a public hearing on this item.

If you're here to testify on this item, uh please come on up.

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Johnson to uh continue the public hearing and lay the matter over till March 11th.

Roll call, please.

Johnson.

Hi.

Joe's Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Hi.

Bowie.

Hi.

Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Aker.

Aye.

Seven in favor, non-opposed.

The public hearing is continued to March 11th.

Item number 18 is second reading public hearing of ordinance 24-26, amending chapters 65 and 66 of the legislative code pertaining to drive-through sales and services and walk-up service windows.

This item has had three readings and is able to be adopted today.

Uh and it is in our public hearing section, again, sort of contradicting everything I've said about how we do our ordinances because uh sometimes we amend an ordinance during the process, and if we do that, if it's a significant amendment, we have another public hearing.

Um, so in this case, we did have an amendment last week um uh from Ms.

Jost, and so we are holding a public hearing, and then we have the opportunity to amend it further or to adopt it.

Um so unless Ms.

Joost has any comments beforehand.

I'm just gonna just open up the public hearing.

Yeah, I don't have any comments beforehand.

All right, so this is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak on this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Jost to close the public hearing.

Uh all in fa roll call, please.

Johnson.

I Jost.

All right, thank you.

Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

I Colman.

Hi.

Council President Acre.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is closed.

Uh so I'll look to Ms.

Joast for motion and comments, and then we'll have discussion of the motion.

Thanks.

Um, well, I want to thank everyone for all their work on this.

This um process began a few years ago.

I think that what we've landed on is kind of a balance between you know what we what our council is hearing from all of our different stakeholders and our community.

Uh and I really appreciate Mr.

Dermoty's work um on this and being able to provide us with all the information along the way.

Um, I don't have any further amendments to bring at this time.

Um, and so I would be moving approval of this item.

Okay.

Thanks so much, Ms.

Joast.

I saw Vice President Yang.

Thanks, Council President.

I am excited to support this, and I want to say thank you, Council Burger Joseph, for taking the lead and really bringing forward the amendments, the first the first package of amendments and letting us review it and also offer amendments as well.

It was um what really helped bring this to the finish line.

And I also want to say thank you to the builder merity for being with us since day one and doing such a fantastic job giving us updates along the way and filtering our questions too.

Thanks, Vice President.

Mr.

Staley.

Uh was this version has it been on file at the clerk's office for a week?

Yeah, so I didn't I didn't bring forth any other versions.

This is the same version from last week.

Great.

Uh and I will also support the motion.

I think we did land as Mr.

said on a good balance between um allowing drive-throughs, recognizing that there is they do fill a need um for many in our community, and that they really should be limited to specific areas of our city, and specifically um not allowing them near high frequency transit, not allowing them downtown, requiring that if they're in our highest density areas, our T3 and T4 zones, that they be part of a high density at least four-story 40,000 square foot development.

Um, and then also through the traditional neighborhood uh zoning study that we did, making sure that they um that there they always have uh pedestrian safe way of accessing the building, even if there is a drive-thru, which is also um really important.

I know that there were some folks at our public hearing last week who brought up some specific questions about stacking.

Um, and I think um Ms.

Joe's might be able to speak to these as well.

Ms.

Joost.

Thank you, Council President.

I I forgot to mention that.

So we did a couple things I'll just share that we did look into in this last week were comments about where how the stacking is is measured um and if it was worth providing a clarification on where that stacking was measured from.

Um and so with all the work that's done so far.

I personally didn't see that as being um being something that needed to be added at this time um as we're thinking about just you know being able to get this in place and move this forward.

I guess I can, Mr.

Dermoty, I'm gonna put you on the spot.

If you could come up and just um probably explain better than I could.

There was a question about you know is the stacking measured from the the ordering window versus the drive-thru window and how that would currently be handled based on the language that uh that we have right now.

Welcome, Mr.

Dermoty.

Thank you.

Bill Dermoty staffs with uh planning and economic development.

Thank you, Council President, Councilmember.

It's actually kind of a question for the zoning administrator, Mr.

Diada, but I my understanding is that we currently measure stacking spaces from the the final window where you pick up goods.

Um and then backwards linearly on the site to get to the minimum stacking distance.

Um that's how we do it today.

Um so I don't think that needs to be into the code.

That's that is how we measure it today.

Yes, thank you.

I appreciate that.

Thank you both.

And I do think um, given that a lot of the questions had to do with not necessarily things that needed to be code changes to your point, Ms.

Jost, but um business owners just wanting clarity.

I I would hope that we can make some of that language clear online um so it's easy for folks to find those answers.

Um great.

Any other discussion of the motion?

Ms.

Coleman.

I'll just echo what um council president and council member Yang said.

First of all, thanking Councilmember Joast and the Ward 3 office for leading on this.

Um this is a matter that predates my time on the council.

Um, and I know it is something that they're we've heard from a whole range of folks about with a whole bunch of considerations, equity considerations, transportation, environmental considerations, business development, land use.

I mean, it just it has been one issue that has touched on so much about how we build our city, and I think taking the time to get this right and to really think about how are we thinking comprehensively and intentionally, um, how are we making policies better over time and how are we meeting the needs of our residents right now while moving towards the city that we want to be a big challenge, but I think that this this gets it right, and I'm excited to support this today.

Thank you.

All right, uh Ms.

Bowie.

I'll just add to that as well.

Um just really appreciate the work that went forth um for this language and is really not only just doing it quickly, but just doing it right and um right fitting you know the the outcomes that we want.

Um I see this as yet another policy decision um that's been community-driven and really um you know give and take and have received a lot of input, not only from our staff who's been working on this for several years, um, but also uh really the community uh giving and taking, particularly around you know what is the best way for us to have policy that's clear and also addressing the need.

So here, particularly in ward one, understanding that part of the problem or one of the uh examples, right, was the snelling Starbucks um drive-through and uh how that was you know literally a train wreck, you know, in many ways.

Um, but it's really important that uh we take these decisions really uh importantly in terms of creating solutions for those problems.

Thank you, Ms.

Bowie.

All right, looks like we're ready for a vote.

I will just once again echo my colleagues' thanks to you and your team, Ms.

Joost, for picking up a very heavy and very uh static ball and moving into the finish line.

Thank you for doing that.

All right, uh motion on the tables for approval, roll call, please.

Johnson Johnson.

Aye, Joast.

Hi.

Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Bowie.

Aye.

Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Acre.

Hi.

Seven in favor, non-opposed, the ordinance is adopted.

Item number 19 is resolution public hearing 26-25, accepting grant funds authorizing execution of a grant agreement and amending the operating budget with respect to the city sponsorship of a metropolitan council TBRA grant application for the benefit of face-to-face at 1170 North Arcade Street.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak on this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Vice President Yang to close the public hearing and approve.

All in favor, say a roll call, please.

Johnson.

Hi.

Joast here.

Hi.

Kim.

Hi.

Uh Yang.

Hi.

Hi.

Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Acre.

Here and I.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number 20 is resolution public hearing 26-64, transmitting the city's support for bronze line locally preferred alternative to the Metropolitan Council in Ramsey County.

And sometimes on public hearings, we also have a staff report just to give a little bit of additional context to what's going on.

So I believe Mr.

Dermoty is coming back to talk to us about the Bronze Line.

Welcome back.

Yes, actually, for this one, we will have a presentation from uh Metro Transit staff.

Liz Jones is going to present some background on this before you vote.

Welcome up, Ms.

Jones.

There we go.

Good evening, everybody.

My name is Liz Jones.

I'm the engagement lead for the Metro Bronze Line Project.

I'm here today to continue conversations with folks and just give a very high-level overview, knowing that we've had a lot of conversations about this project, formerly the Purple Line, as we work to officially receive resolutions of support from our partners for the Metro Bronze Line.

So on the screen here is the new Metro Bronze Line route.

And so really again, this is a community responsive version of the former Purple Line project through four plus years and a lot of work with our agency and community partners.

It's really, we're in a place now where this project is a collaboration between the Met Council, Ramsey County, St.

Paul, and Maplewood, to be in a really good place in consideration of our community input and feedback to move forward with this project.

And so this project is still planning to go from downtown St.

Paul through the East Side Phelan, Maryland and White Bear Avenue corridors up to up through Maplewood to the Maplewood Mall Transit Center.

This is a 10-mile route again between Union Depot downtown St.

Paul and Maplewood Mall Transit Center.

We will be utilizing 22 stations.

And so that was in support of implementing our station locations, bus lanes, and bridges, and the plan locations in St.

Paul and Maplewood.

So confirming this new scope, what we call the locally preferred alternative for the Bronze Line, formerly known as the Purple Line.

Also recommending that the cities of St.

Paul and Maplewood, as well as Ramsey County, adopt resolutions of support for the new Bronze Line locally preferred alternative, and then also recommended that the Metropolitan Council amend the new Bronze Line into the region's transportation policy plan.

Although this project has taken many forms throughout the years, it still serves a key key communities in the East Side and East Metro.

We have a over 60% of BIPOC folks, folks who are zero car households and utilize transit, a lot of folks with lower incomes, older folks, younger folks.

We have over 13% of folks who have a various disability and around 18% of folks with limited English proficiency.

Connecting folks to key community destinations like education centers, healthcare centers, and essential community spaces and jobs as well.

So although the project has taken again many forms, we're still really serving the key folks in uh on the east side.

This is a very high-level image of some of the community engagement that we've completed over the last few years, certainly not comprehensive of everything over the last four years, but focusing really on what we called our route modification study, which was our initiative to figure out what is this new project, what is the scope and talking to a lot of folks in the St.

Paul and Maplewood communities, over 6,000 residents.

So hosting a lot of pop-ups and community spaces, um, holding events.

We did a lot of door knocking, particularly with the business community on the east side and meeting folks and talking to folks right at their businesses.

Worked with a lot of community organizations and business organizations throughout the corridor as well.

A little bit more specifics about the design of the project in St.

Paul.

And also kind of where the project is at.

So the southern half of the project in St.

Paul, south of Maryland is at almost a 30% level of design, whereas the northern half of the project is at about a 1% level of design.

We'll be working later this year.

We are working at readministering the project and getting everything back up and running to bring both kinds of designs forward and advance those project designs.

We will also be having this is a rendering of the arcade street station.

And so confirming I mentioned there's two bridges in this project.

This is one of them.

And so this bridge actually brings the project station at arcade up to the arcade level opposed at the Phelan Boulevard level, which is what the community preference was to be closer to those businesses and community spaces up at the arcade and night intersection.

We will also be moving the Bruce Vento Trail up at grade as well, is making space for the daylighting of the Phelan Creek project by Wacon T Bioanyacape.

This is a high level rendering that we will work to refine later this year.

But this is a rendering of the bridge that will be running over Johnson Parkway near the project's Cook Avenue station.

This bridge will be for buses only, but we'll also have pedestrian facilities as well.

And then just a note the project design on Maryland and White Bear Avenue.

We will be having bus only lanes in St.

Paul and Maryland and White Bear Avenue.

These lanes will be on the side.

So next to each next to each curb.

So there will be side running.

We did look at center running bus lanes as well.

We will be moving forward with side running.

We'll have stations at Clearance, Hazelwood, the intersection of White Bear and Maryland, as well as Arlington and Idaho.

In these lanes on Maryland and White Bear will include the ability for vehicles to turn through the lanes, knowing that there's a number of residents and businesses in this area.

So vehicles, so every everywhere will still be access will be able to be maintained.

This will also include a full roadway reconstruction of Maryland and White Bear.

So essentially back of sidewalk to back of sidewalk, which will include new sidewalks, new boulevards, new roadway, new curb and gutter, new medians, and new pavement as well.

High level rendering of the existing condition on both Maryland and White Bear Avenue, and then the proposed with the Bronze Lane project showing those bus-only lanes on the sides of the roadway in red.

Talk a little bit about our timelines.

So right now we're in early 2026.

We are working on restructuring our project.

So for the end from the end of the year through kind of the beginning to middle of this year.

We've been working on re um reintroducing the project as the bronze line, and we are currently going to be procuring new design and engagement consultant contracts.

We had our CMC action in December, and we are currently, as you can see, run through the resolutions of support process with our partners.

We will also be going through, we are currently also going through the Met Council's TPP amendment process that I mentioned before.

That process will commence at about later this summer.

And some of those dates for those in part of our next steps.

Higher level or longer out with the schedule.

With that, that is all that I have for you.

Great.

Thank you so much.

Are there any questions?

Vice President Yang.

Thank you, Council President.

I don't have questions, but I want to say thank you for your very wonderful presentation and also to our the other Metro Transit staff who are here.

Steven, you're the familiar other familiar face I see in the room here.

I mean, I it's been such a great experience working with you all on the bronze line here.

And for me personally, you all set such a high bar when it comes to community engagement and just how communicative you are to other stakeholders.

Part of me is like, you know, for other projects I'm in with other transit entities.

I'm like, I wonder if they can just replicate what you all do, your community engagement team.

And the the work really speaks for itself.

I mean, the slide around the data on who this project is serving, um, it really conveys how how um committed you are to really understanding um who we're serving and the needs of the community.

So I want to say thank you again for your work in that.

I'm very supportive of the uh of um what was proposed here to you all for the bronze line.

There was a very stellar um unveiling that happened uh back in December.

The mayor Melvin Carter was speaking in support of this project.

And I'm I'm just very thrilled that we are in a place where um we are ready to get back to work and make this transit project happen.

It's in our city here, um, bringing in more investments for transit has always been important to this council, I know, and for me personally too.

In the east side, to um it's my vision for us to have robust transportation, and the Browns line here is a part of that vision, and it's a very important puzzle piece to it.

So um with that, I uh ask for my colleagues um your your uh full support for this, and excited to hear back from you all in the coming months.

Okay, thank you thanks so much, Vice President Yang, and thank you so much for the presentation.

Thank you very much.

Um we will hold a public hearing now, and then we'll take a motion um from Ms.

Yang.

So this is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak on this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Yang to close the public hearing and approve.

Um is there any discussion of the motion?

I will just say I echo your support, uh, Ms.

Yang, thank you for your leadership on this project.

Um I think we were ready for the purple line, we're ready for the bronze line, we've uh been ready.

Um, and I think some of us all of us wish we had were already here and the work is already underway, but uh the city of St.

Paul is strongly in support of this project and excited for it.

Uh so with that, we'll take a roll call vote.

Johnson Jose?

Hi Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Hi.

Bowie?

Hi.

Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Acre.

Hi.

Seven in favor, non-opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number 21 is ABZA 26-2, considering the appeal of a decision by the Board of Zoning Appeals denying a variance request to convert an existing lit free standing sign to a dynamic display at 1305 7th Street West.

Welcome, Mr.

Diada.

Let's get a PowerPoint going.

And once again, on a public hearing, we're gonna have a staff report first.

This is a day full of exceptions.

Good.

Yeah.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, uh members of the council.

Um, I'm here, my colleague Pang.

I'm the zoning administrator.

Ben just got a promoted to uh a DSI Inspector 3, so she'll be dealing with variances uh going forward.

Previously she was um uh processing sign permits, so it's only fitting that she's studying with the sign um uh variance um appeal.

Um see the slides.

Yep, we got them.

Um so the subject property is um the subject property is uh um is a commercial property to zone to B2.

That's the property you see here, uh surrounded by uh various um residential districts and H2 to the north and then RMs to the west and then um to the east.

We have um also RMs, and then to the south, we have uh T2 traditionally built zoning district.

So it's a commercial district that's mostly surrounded by residential uses uh districts.

Um so the proximity to residential district is why um the applicant um kicks in the um standard for dynamic display signs.

Um but you look at the sign, I will show uh in um the pictures of um that will show later that it is really oriented towards seven street, which is commercial, uh not so much towards residential.

Um so the the zoning code uh in um sort of forces um certain um locations that are so close to residential uh to adhere to sort of standards on how the sign can operate and how close it can be to residential districts, and that's why the various being uh requested.

You can move on to the next one.

So this court section here is what sort of uh dictate how signs um should be um sort of um uh administered when they're located in so in close proximity to uh residential districts.

Okay, move to the next one.

So uh the sign that you're looking at right now is the existing sign.

So the project really is uh an overall reduction of the sign.

Currently, the sign stands at 80 square feet.

They're reducing it to a 58 square feet, and only a portion of it that is about 32 square feet will be um digital.

And that's move it to the next one.

So this wasn't proposed.

Uh the top part will still remain uh remain uh static sign, and the bottom part would be um digital.

So it would only be changing, you're talking about every 20 minutes, and it would be turned off between 11 p.m.

and seven uh 7 a.m.

The regulations.

Um staff did um review the um the application against the six findings and found that the um the uh request meets all the findings.

Um however, um at the border zoning appeals, um there were discussion about finding three and finding six uh not being met.

Um so subsequently a vote was taken um to recommend denial.

Uh the vote uh failed because we didn't get the four votes required.

So three voted against staff recommendation, and one uh board member voted for staff recommendation, so that failed.

Uh subsequently another motion was made for approval to go along with staff recommendation uh that did not get seconded, so that that died.

And um under Minnesota statute, a uh a failure of a motion to approve uh results in a denial, and the denial is that before you on appeal.

And with that, uh we're ready for any questions you may have.

Great.

Thanks, Mr.

Diata.

Are there any questions?

Ms.

Coleman.

I have one quick question.

Thank you, Ms.

President.

Um, thank you, Mr.

Diada.

If we could put back the criteria really quickly.

I don't know if there's a way for OTC to pop the slides back up.

But I'm curious about the one the criteria that said that it would be uh challenging for the business to comply.

But could you please repeat?

I think so of the two the two elements of the six that the uh BCA said were not met, or that a majority of the commissioner said was not met.

I there's one that was specific to the difficulty of compliance.

Is that correct?

So number three, the applicant demonstrated practical difficulties in complying with the provision.

I'm just wondering if you could say a little bit more about that.

And sort of why staff feels that it was met, or what the discussion might have been on BCA.

Um council member um uh president uh council member coleman.

Can you please repeat the question?

Yeah, so um there were six required findings that had to be met by staff, right, in order to recommend the variance.

Um and it looks like the Board of Zoning Appeals said that numbers three and number six weren't met.

And I'm just curious about number three specifically, uh, the requirement that the applicant demonstrate practical difficulties in complying with the provision with the understanding that economic considerations alone do not constitute practical difficulties.

I would just be curious to know a little bit more about why staff felt that recommendation was met.

Um that requirements.

So when you look at, as I was explaining earlier, the location of the business being a commercial business surrounded almost by residential, is what staff deemed as being a practical difficulty for them to be able to operate a sign.

Typically, if you're looking at if we have something like a church, for example, just allowed in residential and they can have digital signs, they're not required to be have to have any separation.

But the nature of the business as a commercial view surrounded by residential is what staff deemed as being a challenge for the uh for the business to be able to convert the existing signs partially into uh um into digital sign.

Yeah, thanks, Mr.

Diada, and thanks for the question, Ms.

Coleman.

I I think the and I listened to the BZA meeting about this, and I I think it's easy to misunderstand provision three, um, because the way that the BZA was interpreting it, I think is is incorrect, which is that um there's practical difficulties in just staying the way you are.

So, in other words, the questioning, the line of questioning was well, why can't you just keep your current sign?

What what is the you know necessary reason why you have to change?

And that's not actually what finding three means.

Um the finding three means for the change you want to make, is there some reason why you can't stay within the code?

Is there some reason why you can't stay within the code?

And in this case, the change they want to make is moving to the dynamic display, and they can't stay within the code because of the way that their property is located.

Um you don't have to have sort of an existential reason to make the change in order for it to constant in order for that finding to be met.

And I think that that was a misunderstanding on the part of BZA in this case and sometimes in other cases too.

So I really appreciate the question.

Also a misunderstanding on my part, so thank you both.

And sometimes on my part.

Um other questions.

All right, so oh, Ms.

Bowie.

Just to get clarity.

So is this sign already grandfathered in and now we're reviewing it to um the distinguishment that you may, particularly, not that it's the new sign, but does it actually meet the like the the needs or the the findings?

Um I'll turn to Mr.

Diada.

It is a new sign, um, replacing an existing sign, and it's a dynamic display, which is the change, but Mr.

Diada.

Um Council President, um, Councilmember Bowie.

Uh so the sign currently is a normal sign, it's lit, and you go manually to change the message on the sign.

That's why we see that the gentleman up there trying to change it.

Um this uh the what they're proposing is to reduce the overall size of the sign from 80 square feet to 58 square feet.

The bottom portion is gonna be 32 square feet, which is gonna be digital.

Um it's a new sign in the in the sense that electronic portion is new, but the sign as a uh standard sign is uh is um in the allowed sign to be there today.

They can put up a brand new sign without any digital um without having to go through a variance.

Thank you.

All right, so um I think we will hear from the appellant if they're here.

Sorry, uh the appellant um property owner, and you'll actually have five minutes for this particular kind of public hearing.

Um so welcome up and make sure to start with your name and where you're coming from.

Hi, my name is Matt Duffy, and I am uh the sign company helping Joe Bennett on this and uh and the sign permit.

And uh I don't know if you have questions for me.

I would just say afterwards uh and Joe apologizes for not being able to be here today.

Um I would just point to uh those two points, one on the practical difficulty, which uh the planning group hit on, which is right, the given the property and where they're located, there's just no place to put the sign that would be uh within the setback requirements for being near a residential property, and the other one was the uh uh essential of the surrounding area.

I would just point to the letter that the Fort Road Federation wrote.

I thought it was a great letter, and I thought they framed the issues really well.

And I would just add that we spent, I spent personally a significant amount of time with them uh reviewing what we wanted to do, answering their questions about concerns about light spill and how would it affect uh the neighbors uh surrounding properties and uh all the as uh a number of the aspects of the sign kind of hit at that, the fact that it'll be a monochrome sign, dark backgrounds like text already kind of minimizing light.

I think in at night we probably will produce less light than the current sign produces.

The ID portion, which will have internal LED lights, is much smaller than the current 80 square feet, and the 32 square foot dynamic sign, which will have a dark background and light text will not produce that much light spill.

It auto-dims at night, so it's operating at about 10% of its daytime brightness at night.

Uh and then uh the 20-minute change time in terms of messages, and then I think from 11 to 7 or something, it's turned off.

So uh before they wrote this letter, uh they wanted to make sure that we were able to answer all those questions.

So we obviously uh answered their questions and and concerns uh to a degree that they felt comfortable sending this letter in thank you so much for your testimony.

Make sure to sign in.

Uh is there anyone else here to speak on this item?

If so, you would have two minutes.

All right, I will make a motion to close the public hearing.

Uh roll call, please.

Johnson.

Hi.

Joe?

Kim?

Hi.

Yang.

Bowie.

Colman.

Hi.

Council President Nager.

Hi.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is closed.

Uh well, thank you so much for coming out to testify.

Um, and thanks again to staff for your uh helpful description of this item.

Um, just one note to my colleagues.

Often when we're seeing an appeal of another body's decision, we have to find error in fact finding or procedure of the previous body.

Um, in this case, as you heard Mr.

Diada say, um, the BZA actually didn't take any action.

They had two motions, both of which failed.

They failed to approve and they failed to deny, and a failure to approve constitutes a denial, so it's here with us as a denial.

But as a result, um, we're actually looking at this as though it's a brand new case.

We don't actually have to find fault in what they did because they actually didn't take any action.

Both of those actions technically failed.

Um, so I'm not gonna be pointing out errors in anything that they did, um, except maybe my slight point earlier to Miss Coleman.

Um, all the other errors I wrote down before I found out that we're looking at this brand new, I will not say.

Um, but I think just looking at this on its face, um, you know, this this is something that seems like it is a business enhancement um that is um good for the neighborhood and that that that meets the findings.

Um I think it's notable that uh staff recommended approval.

Uh the Fort Road Federation, the district council is in support, as we just heard, um, after extensive engagement with the applicant.

Um we don't have any opposition.

Um I think it's also notable the new sign will be smaller than the existing sign.

It will be less lit, as we heard.

It can actually be light can be adjusted, which isn't the case now.

It only changes every 20 minutes.

Um, and then I I think the two issues that the BZA raised in terms of practical difficulties.

I think it's clear to me that there's no place else on the lot to put a sign, so it's not possible to be um 75 feet away from a residence because of how close this business is located to residences, and that's unique to the property, not created by the landowner and not economic.

Um then to say that this will change the essential character of the area when it will be less light and less big than the current sign, um, and when the district council is in support, also seems to me to not make sense.

Um so I I am going to support uh make a motion to um approve the appeal um for those reasons.

So that's my motion.

Uh is there discussion?

Seeing non roll call, please.

Johnson.

Hi.

Joes?

Hi.

Kim?

Aye.

Yang.

Aye.

Bowie.

Aye.

Coleman.

Aye.

Council President Acre.

Aye.

Seven in favor, non-opposed.

The motion of intent is the appeal is granted.

Item number 22 is public hearing 26-4.

Public hearing on grievances about federal immigration operations.

And this is our standing public hearing on federal immigration operations.

So if you're here to testify on this item, uh, please come on up.

Seeing no one here to testify, I will take a motion from Ms.

Kim to continue the public hearing to March 11th.

Roll call, please.

Johnson.

Joe's Kim.

Aye.

Yang.

Aye.

Bowie.

Aye.

Coleman.

Aye.

Council President Naker.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is continued to March 11th.

This brings us to the legislative hearing portion of our agenda.

Welcome up, Ms.

Mormond.

Legislative hearing consent agenda items 23 through 38 are before you for your consideration.

Ms.

Mormont.

Council President, if uh item number 35 could be read into the record, please.

Item number 35, RLH SAO 26-11.

Second making finding on the appealed nuisance abatement ordered for 1079 Western Avenue North and Council file RLH SAO 25-71.

Ms.

Mormon.

Council President, uh, this is the third time this particular case has been in front of you.

The council originally heard an appeal of the summary abatement order itself to clean up the property.

That happened in December in January.

Uh was the first hearing to have the council make a finding about whether or not the nuisance had been abated.

It had not, but the council granted a further extension.

Today is the second time the council is making a finding about whether the nuisance has been abated.

Uh primary um item in front of you would be that.

Yes, the tires have been abated.

No, the pallets when I uh saw the photos last week uh were not abated.

I believe I have current photos.

Sorry.

So on the overhead camera, I can show you that uh the pallets.

Forgiveness.

I need the voice activated over the project.

In the middle of the backyard, you can see this is the area where the blue pallets continued to be in existence there.

They had not been removed at the time of the hearing.

We did discuss a number of options that uh were available.

And also, I believe Ward 5 has also had those conversations.

So my recommendation is to make a finding that the nuisance is not abated and authorize the Department of Safety and Inspections to abate.

Thanks, Ms.

Mormon.

Any questions before we hold the public hearing?

Seeing oh, Miss Bowie.

Um thank you, Council President.

Um Hearing Officer Marshall, I just have a quick question.

So with some in this, um, just as I'm jogging my memory on this case, there are several items that needed to be removed.

Um so everything else was removed, but it sounds like that just the pallets that we that is um the condition on uh or your recommendation um as voting on this being uh I guess a nuisance abatement or abating the uh just the pallets, not the other items.

I just wanted to make sure the the record's clear, particularly around what items we're talking about, because there's multiple in the original findings.

Yeah, there are actually three deadlines that I recommended for the abatement of uh various items in the yard.

So uh one deadline was around the tires and the pallets, there was another deadline around uh items on the front porch, for example, and so this is the one that's in front of you now.

And in hearing we did discuss other items, but today it's this trying to so was there gonna be other days where other items are this is just only about the pallets.

Uh the things that were on the porch was cleared are not found to be there.

For further extent, uh different uh deadlines are recommended for those items.

Okay.

Thank you for the clarifying questions.

All right, we will go to the public hearing.

This is a public hearing.

If you're here for this item, please come on up and you'll have two minutes.

Welcome.

Oh, you can sign in when you're done.

So welcome.

Good afternoon.

Afternoon.

Um the pallets have been removed.

Sorry, can just start with your name and where you're coming from.

Oh, my name is Nigel Neely.

I live at 1079 Western Avenue North.

Thank you.

And um, I did have the pallets removed.

I don't know when she was creeping around taking pictures, but it was before I removed them, but I did remove the pallets.

Okay.

Is there anything else you want to say with your time?

Um also they had um requested that there were items that were on my porch that they wanted removed.

Um, I have uh some speaker boxes, those had also been removed already.

Um there was some pictures of something that they thought was something that should have been removed, but I wanted to argue that it's not because our outdoor toys for my granddaughter.

Okay.

Great, thank you very much.

Um you can sign in now and we'll have some conversation uh about this case.

Is there anyone else here to testify on this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Kim to close the public hearing.

Roll call, please.

Johnson.

Hi.

Joseph.

Hi Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Hi.

Hi.

Coleman.

Hi.

Seven in favor, none opposed, the public hearing is closed.

Ms.

Kim.

Great, thank you.

Um, I'm very appreciative to hear that that work was done.

We had contacted, made several attempts to contact you and even hand dropped off a letter to your house hoping to coordinate um with you.

So that's the public hearing is closed, sorry.

So it's just to name um, it's it's really good to hear that the pallets were abated.

I'm wondering then, um, Marsh uh, so let's I'm going to take that as truth.

Let's say we send out our folks for abatement and there's nothing to be abated.

Are there any costs associated with that?

Right.

So if we go and as it turns out, by the time we go to do that, it's completed.

What does that look like?

I don't know why I'm not so if we go out and the pallets are gone and we don't have to do any abatement.

Are there costs to the property owner?

No, I the department would want to confirm that uh they would go check before they determine not to issue or a work order to have them removed.

Um, just for the record, I I don't go to properties, I don't creep around properties.

That's something that inspectors go to document um the conditions and they do that on the exterior, and that was addressed in the legislative hearing.

Great.

So um just to focus on process, the the next step.

And if an abatement is no longer needed, are there any costs accrued to the property owner?

In all likelihood there would be an excessive consumption of code enforcement services if um it was done, but a crew did not need to be dispatched, and so that's you missed the deadline.

We had to check it again, and so you would be charged for the trip.

And how much does that usually cost I believe the bill, and I could be wrong, it's between 125 and 130 with fees attached in the assessment process.

That becomes 169.

Okay, and how how can that be paid?

Uh, when that comes forward, a bill is mailed uh with a 30-day deadline.

Then uh, if that fails, then another bill would be issued with a 15-day deadline, same thing.

And uh failing that processed as an assessment.

Okay.

Um and can you just confirm what would the deadline was and when inspectors went out to go review the property the um original deadline that I recommended to the council was uh no January 21st.

The council in January made an extension to February 20th.

That's right.

And I had the follow-up hearing on the 24th.

Uh the original orders went out on November 12th of 2025.

Okay, so we had extended that downline to February 20th.

I appreciate the background.

And inspectors went out on the 24th, and it was not cleared by that deadline.

Correct.

Okay.

When when checked and discussed last Tuesday.

Okay, that makes sense.

Um yeah, so your recommendation.

If I approve your recommendation, it doesn't it still changes whether or not inspectors go out to review the property and whether or not the abatement was completed.

Okay.

Um I'm going to go on your word of trust.

I'm going to move the recommendation of the hearing officer, and we'll make sure that um we have uh a work permit issued and that folks will come out to make sure that it was done in time.

Um but the fee for us to go check that out at this point is not something that I'm willing to waive.

Not willing to weigh the fee.

No.

So this is a public.

This is no longer a public hearing.

Please take a seat.

This isn't a public hearing.

So I think I don't know if your staff are here or available to answer further questions, but you can take a seat, sir.

Thank you.

We're gonna take uh a vote on the motion now.

So the motion is to approve legislative hearing officers' recommendation.

Um that motion seeing none, roll call, please.

Johnson Jose.

Aye, Yang.

Aye Bowie, no Coleman.

Aye.

Council President Acre.

Aye.

Six in favor, one opposed.

That being council member Bowie, the resolution is adopted.

Ms.

Mormon, is there anything else for separate consideration?

I'm not aware of anyone else here to testify.

All right, then we will hold a balance a huge public hearing on all of the other legislative hearing items.

If you're here for any other legislative hearing item, now is your public hearing.

Come on up.

Okay.

Could we pull item number 27th and the agenda to be read into the record?

Item number 27, RLHTA 25-420, appealing the ratifying the appealed special tax assessment at 692 Hamlin Avenue North aka 1339 Van Buren Avenue.

Ms.

Mormons.

I'll give a staff report and then you can testify.

Okay.

Okay.

So this is a case where we're looking at a vacant building fee.

The vacant building fee covers the time period of the minutes here.

2024.

Yes, 20 March of 2024 through February of 2025.

It entered the vacant building program in February of 23.

It had um major water damage.

So February of 23, first fee paid.

This is the second fee, it covers 2425.

And the third fee would cover 2025-26.

And because of DSI's processing of these things, we don't have those fees forward yet.

So we just dealt with the year one paid, year two today.

With this situation, um, the property owner, because of the length of time it's taken to get through the insurance process, and they filed a claim.

Um they would like additional or consideration and not being charged the vacant building fee.

Additionally, they indicated in the hearing process that uh there were no services of the city used.

Uh the vacant building fee, as you know, is calculated based on the cost of running the vacant building program divided by the number of buildings in the vacant building program evenly charged across all some cases.

We do have people who use more services than others, but uh the billing process is not all a cart, it's uniform.

Um I think that's the nature of it, but I think I'll let her speak more.

Questions from Ms.

Mormon before we open up the public hearing.

Not seeing any.

All right, this is a public hearing.

Welcome up.

Make sure to start with your name and where you're coming from.

You'll have two minutes.

Um, thank you.

My name is Beth Jackson.

Thanks for making the time in your agenda for this plea.

I'm asking for forgiveness for an additional vacant building fee at 1339 Van Buren.

In 2003, to fulfill a dream I had of opening a child care.

My husband and I purchased 1339 Van Viren, a rundown vacant property down the alley from us that spring.

We dumped tens of thousands of dollars into it to reside, re-roof, and restore the interior to open said child care.

For over 18 years, I helped raise over 150 neighborhood kids in that house, and it became a treasured part of the community story.

I closed that child care in 2021 and re-rented the home to our youngest daughter and some of her teammates from nearboard nearby Concordia University.

After graduating, the roommates had moved on, and my daughter was out of town, and we had plans of renting it to a new tenant.

Fate had other plans, however, and on February 22nd of 2024, I received an ominous text from my neighbor saying that there was water coming out of our rental.

Long story short, a small valve failed on our toilet supply line.

And because my daughter was out of town, it ran consistently for days and days.

The result was a full insurance loss, ceilings caved in, the whole house seeped and drenched with water, and water even penetrated the soil behind the 1895 Limestone Foundation, which ultimately caved in under the pressure, at which time the city of St.

Paul justifiably um condemned the building.

That day began a two-year kind of nightmare for us.

I don't blame the city or any of its departments or employees or fine schedules, but rather ask for a little financial mercy.

Um we've been through three contractors, we're now one photograph away from getting out of condemnation.

Um we have updated the property consistently over the past 23 years.

It's frustrating for us to see dozens of vacant properties all over the neighborhood and the burden of the cost that we are told are we share with um kind of not present landlords.

Um, and I just am begging for a little uh financial mercy.

And by the way, if you know anybody who needs to rent a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house, we have it for you.

Thank you very much.

Uh, make sure to sign in.

Um anyone else here to testify on this item.

See none, I'll take motion for Ms.

Coleman to close the public hearing.

Roll call, please.

Johnson.

Hi.

Joe.

Hi.

Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Hi.

Hi.

Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Acre.

Hi.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is closed.

Ms.

Coleman.

I have a couple of additional questions for Ms.

Mormond, if that's all right.

And thank you, Ms.

Jackson, for being here.

Uh I'm trying to get my head around the timeline because I don't know that I had that totally right.

So because it sounds like maybe between when the building was initially vacant and now, there was for some period of time, it was occupied by Ms.

Jackson's daughter, and then it was after that.

It anyway, I'm confused.

If you could go through the top, great.

It entered the vacant building program in February of 2023.

At that point, it was not a habitable structure.

It had had the water damage, and it was sent to the vacant building program.

It has been in the vacant building program for three years, and I believe when we spoke it was 95% done.

So it's completely done now.

So it was almost to the day, three years in the program.

Uh so um, and this is the fee for the year two.

Got it.

Okay, so that's that predated its entrance into the vacant buildings program.

Um, thank you.

I appreciate that.

So I um motion to approve the uh legislative hearing officer's recommendation.

And I I want to say, Ms.

Drexen, I really appreciate you being here and the care for our neighborhood and the work to get this building into compliance and habitable and to be um you know a thriving part of our neighborhood.

I think that the uh I I hear the concerns about how our vacant building program works and how it is that oh, sorry, is there an addition?

Five years, if you want.

Um I I just consulted with the appellant, and if the council is going to approve, I would ask that you approve and make payments uh over a period of five years.

Great.

So do we need to maybe do I need to motion to amend the recommendation?

So I'll make a motion to amend the recommendation to um require that the assessment be paid but over a period of five years.

Okay.

Did you want to continue with your comments?

And I will continue with my comments, which is that I appreciate the work that has gone into this, and I appreciate the concerns about sort of the wide array of buildings that fall into our vacant buildings program and how you know that can include everything from a real nuisance property that is not cared for that is not in the the process of being up uh updated, um kind of restored to functionality and and what's being described here.

That said, I think that that's a policy change that we need to talk about, and it is a policy change that has been discussed many times, even in the short while that I've been on this council about how we are properly accounting for the costs.

That said, we have the policies that we have in place now, and I do think it's important to follow them equitably while thinking about you know, while we're sitting in this role, the quasi-judicial role, and that to me is a separate question from whether or not this policy needs modifications.

So I will move the amended recommendation.

Thank you, Ms.

Coleman.

And I will support your recommendation, and I agree.

I know that our vacant building policy uh is on our policy committee agenda, I believe, for this year to be looked at.

Um in the moment, the policy that we have really is intended and designed to encourage um bringing these properties out of the vacant building status and into productive use, and so it is purposely intended to be an encouragement um to do that.

And I know that that does bring a burden in many cases, and to your point, I'm sure I I would also support an exploration of whether our policy can be more fine-tuned to recognize work that has gone into the property and how close a property might be to completion.

I do think it's worth um also in support of your motion that this is about not this year's vacant building, but actually last year's vacant building program, and I'm not sure how close the property was to completion at that point, but I would imagine it was not 99% in year two.

Um so uh any further discussion of the motion.

Seeing non-roll call, please.

Johnson Jose?

Kim?

Hi, Yang.

Bowie, Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Acre.

Aye.

Seven in favor, non opposed.

The resolution is adopted as amended.

Is there anything else?

Uh anyone else here to testify on a different legislative hearing item.

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Bowie for the balance of the legislative hearing agenda with all of the amendations and recommendations of legislative hearing officer.

Roll call, please.

Johnson.

Aye.

Joe's Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

Aye.

Bowie.

Hi.

Coleman.

Hi.

Council President Acre.

Hi.

Seven in favor, non-opposed.

The legislative hearing consent agenda is adopted as amended.

That brings us to the end of our agenda.

Uh, is there any news from the wards?

Ms.

Coleman.

Thank you.

Um, I have news to share that transitions from this conversation about vacant buildings.

Um I know many of you have followed, um, and many of our viewers at home have followed the saga of the CVS on Snelling and University, which was ordered to be demolished by this council back in November.

At the time I told people we were talking weeks before and be demolished.

That was incorrect, and I apologize for that.

I was overly enthusiastic, but it is now looking like it will be on track to be demolished this week, or I'm sorry, this upcoming Monday.

I do want to say with all the caveats that that's not a guarantee.

That's based on conversations with the contractor.

We believe that that is when it will be coming down, or at least when work will start.

Um, but weather and other factors could change it.

But fingers crossed, Monday.

Um, a couple of things that I want to note is it will sort of work can start at any point between 7 a.m.

and 10 p.m.

So just for any neighbors um or folks who commute through the Snelling and University Corridor, you know, be prepared.

There is there could be construction starting early and going late.

Um, we don't anticipate any sidewalk closures.

We don't anticipate um, you know, any impact to BRT or light rail travel.

If you do have any questions or concerns, our office has put out a uh frequently asked questions document to sort of talk about what happens next, who to raise any concerns with.

Um, that's also been shared with our district councils, the Union Park District Council, Hamlin Midway Coalition, as well as the Midway Chamber of Commerce.

So lots of folks in the community should have answers to any questions that come up.

Um I know that there are a whole host of different celebrations planned.

Um, so encourage people to break out one of our small businesses on selling in university, check out all the progress that is happening at United Village, all the construction that is happening there.

It's a really uh oh my god, stop by and see um sorry, this is a really long bit of good news.

But I'm never break about selling an university, so I'm taking my time.

Um stop by and see the construction that's happening on the Hamlin Midway Library that is slated to be opened later this year.

There is just a lot of progress happening, and somebody said it recently, but you know, sometimes progress looks like putting up a building, and sometimes it looks like taking down a building, and in this case, taking down a building is a big big step.

So um, yeah, go stilling in university.

Thank you, Ms.

Coleman.

I think that was the amount of time you spent on that was warranted.

Um Ms.

Johnson.

Thank you, Council President.

I'm not sure of the good news or whether it's it's um constructive news, but Mindad is returning um to E7th and Arcade this season for construction.

And they actually are hosting um an in-person public meeting now.

But if people are uh unable to make it today, there's also gonna be our virtual public meeting on the project on Tuesday, March 10th.

Um from 5 to 6:30.

They're gonna be talking about the E7th um reconstruction between Midiana and Olive Street, as they're gonna be reducing it down to one lane lane of traffic, and then also the arcade street between Need and East 7th as well, um, is going to close.

And so I do want folks to know about it and be able to get the input.

Um they're currently meaning right now, Mississippi Market, but if folks didn't see that, um, the virtual option too will be there and the have interpreters in Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and Coran.

Great.

Thanks so much, Ms.

Johnson.

Other news from the wards, Ms.

Yang.

Thanks, Council President.

We heard really great news at our library board meeting about the Hayden Heights library renovation um starting pretty soon here.

It will be closed temporarily starting March 24th and will reopen in the fourth quarter of 2027.

So with that, I wanted to share about a project update and community conversation that my office is doing in partnership with the St.

Paul Public Libraries and the Greater East Side Communities uh Council.

It'll be next Tuesday, March 10th from 6 p.m.

to 7:30 p.m.

at the Hayden Heights Library, and it'll be an opportunity for people to get an update about the renovation of the library and to highlight any um to ask any sort of questions and share about what sort of library services they're hoping to see occurred um during this temporary closure.

So that feedback and input from community is very important.

We'll also have your refreshments available too.

Great.

Thank you, Vice President.

Other news from the wards, Ms.

Jost.

Um two things.

I shared this in the library board meeting, but the read brave event is tomorrow night at the Arlington Hills Library.

Um the book this year is Lobizona.

Um, and so there'll be a panel with some of our young people and the mayor, facilitated by our library director, and the author will also be there.

So it's 5:30 to 8 tomorrow at the Arlington Hills Library, and there will be dinner and dessert and just really great conversation.

So hope folks can join us.

And then I also just wanted to share past good news.

The Skyway 5K was on Saturday.

Um Council President Naker and myself and our staff from wards two and four participated.

It was so fun.

Want to thank Anderson Race Management and everyone that participated um in making that happen.

Uh a lot of really really great um uh really great uh event to to just highlight downtown and our skyway system.

So thanks, Ms.

Just.

It was a lot of fun.

Uh Ms.

Kim.

Um we have our Rice Larpender annual gathering tomorrow in person at the community school of excellence.

Um we'll be celebrating businesses and organizations that have helped sort of bolster the corridor.

Um, and then of course, just previewing we have our annual spring clean clean spring clean cleanup.

I don't know why I'm having such a hard time.

April um 18th, um, where we just walk around, kind of divide into groups, but we clean up the rice learned area.

But tomorrow, please join us for our annual celebration.

We'll be at the community school of excellence starting at 5 30.

5 30.

Thank you.

Uh any other news from the wards.

I will just share it is fish fry season.

Um, I think I am stealing maybe several wards, uh, thunders here that are not mine, well, including mine, but uh Isaba is having their fish fry coming up on Friday from 4:30 to 7 at the Arcade Phelan American Legion.

Always a great time.

Encourage folks to come.

Um, and then St.

Matt's uh church on the West Side is having their fish fry and a folk dance band um at from 6 to 8 p.m.

The folk dance starts at 6 30.

Um, and in case you're wondering if you can go to two fish fries in one night, the answer is absolutely.

Um, I, for example, will be at both of those.

Um, so I hope you can come.

All right, uh, with that, if there's no other good news, that brings us to the end of our agenda.

Thanks for a great day.

We are adjourned.