Saint Paul City Council Meeting Summary - March 11, 2026

The Saint Paul City Council met on March 11, 2026, from 3:32 PM to 4:55 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting covered a consent agenda, several ordinances, public hearings, and an appeal. Key actions included the withdrawal of a police staffing cost write-off, a temporary extension of the pre-eviction notice period, and granting of a variance appeal for a hotel at United Village.

Consent Calendar

• Items 2 through 15 were adopted unanimously via consent agenda. These included approvals for tree removal assessments, garbage and yard waste delinquent bills, settlement claims ($16,000 for Jarell Heads and $25,000 for Jacob Olmstead), a water utility easement release, a fire department lease with Dell Financial Services, an appointment of Dillon Donnelly to the Audit Committee, and collective bargaining agreements with AFSCME Council 5 (Clerical Local 2508 and Technical Local 1842) for 2026-2028.
• Item 3 (RES 26-364, establishing rate of pay for Water Control Systems Information Analyst) was laid over to March 18, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Pre-eviction notice extension (Ord 26-18): The public hearing drew numerous speakers. Supporters included Katie Royce (Frogtown Neighborhood Association), Dante (Twin Cities United Performers), Regan Reek (Home Line), Lisa Nelson (Hamlin Midway Coalition), Jessica Shaminski (Housing Justice Center), Steve Tuckner, James Dirks, Tony Arts, Sarah Mullins, and Autumn Vigel (Twin Cities United Performers). They argued that the 60-day notice is needed to give renters time to access rental assistance and avoid homelessness, especially following Operation Metro Surge. Regan Reek noted a 71% increase in renters seeking help paying rent compared to last year, and that Home Line advised nearly 2,900 St. Paul households in the past year. Opponents included Laura Russ (AON affordable housing provider), Kathy Bennett (Twin Cities Housing Alliance), Ben Helvick Anderson (Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative), Nancy McMurray (Project for Pride and Living), and Malik (a small landlord). They argued that extending the notice period would lead to larger unpaid balances, higher eviction rates, and financial strain on landlords, especially small property owners. Malik stated that an eviction process already takes nearly four months.
• Hotel variance appeal (ABZA 26-3): Mike Hamm (advisor to United Village) and Mark Morrill (co-chair of Union Park District Council) testified in support of the variance. Morrill explained that the hotel’s first-floor layout (luggage, check-in, restrooms) makes extensive windows impractical and that the design already includes a restaurant and other public amenities.
• Immigration operations public hearing (PH 26-4): No one testified at this hearing. It was continued to March 18, 2026, with Vice President Yang noting that next week will be the last public hearing on this topic.

Discussion Items

• Withdrawal of RES PH 26-59 (Police staffing cost write-off for festivals): Councilmember Bowie moved to withdraw the item, stating that the Mayor’s office and the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation are willing to administer a grant program to support qualifying festivals. Councilmembers Johnson and Yang praised the collaborative process and the outcome. The item was withdrawn.
• Pre-eviction notice extension (Ord 26-18): Councilmember Kim introduced a version 2 of the ordinance to clarify that the temporary extension from 30 to 60 days takes effect on May 14, 2026 (the same date as the broader tenant protections ordinance) and runs through December 31, 2026. The amendment was adopted unanimously. The public hearing then occurred, after which the ordinance was laid over to March 18 for final adoption.
• Hotel variance appeal (ABZA 26-3): Staff presented the history of the project, noting that the Board of Zoning Appeals denied the variance due to a tie vote (one member contested finding #3 on practical difficulty). The council heard testimony and then voted to grant the appeal, allowing the hotel to proceed with 43.1% window/door openings (6.9% variance) and 23.3% area (6.7% variance) on the north facade.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda adopted (7-0).
• RES PH 26-59 withdrawn without opposition.
• Ord 26-18 (pre-eviction notice extension) amended and laid over to March 18, 2026, for final adoption (7-0).
• Ord 26-16 (rezoning 325 Commercial St) laid over to March 18 for final adoption (7-0).
• RES PH 26-56 (sound level variance for Mightyssippi 10 Mile) adopted (7-0).
• RES PH 26-65 (budget amendments) adopted (7-0).
• ABZA 26-3 (hotel variance appeal) granted (7-0).
• PH 26-4 (immigration grievances) continued to March 18, 2026 (7-0).
• Legislative hearing consent agenda (items 24-26) adopted (7-0).
• The meeting concluded with greetings from Girl Scouts from Groveland Elementary and a recognition of Vice President Yang’s birthday and Councilmember Johnson’s return from maternity leave.