11-14-2001 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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11 -9 -2001 Dear Council... Since I came to work for the City of Little Canada in April, about seven months ago, I have been busy learning the job and the "players." It is my belief that it is far better to achieve compliance with our codes and ordinances by talking with people, encouraging them, and suggesting possible solutions rather than taking a badge -heavy "tag `em and let `em tell it to the judge" approach. Unless there is some serious health hazard or other immediate concern, I will always give at least two written warnings, and attempt to talk with the person before I resort to issuing citations. When it is necessary to issue a citation, I will always have all the evidence I need to make the charge stick. It is very embarrassing to lose a case due to poor preparation. In my twenty-two years with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department I did lose twice. Both times it was because the judge chose to be lenient, not because I didn't prove my case. I have only issued four citations since I started. They were issued to people who chose to ignore my letters and verbal warnings. Three have been very long term problems. The other one was for not having a fence around a below ground swimming pool, an obvious safety issue. In many cases the violations have been existing and building for years. Some of those take a while to bring into compliance. My standard of expectation for such people has been that they make "significant, weekly progress towards compliance." This approach has been successful in cases like Benchmark Auto in the industrial park. Benchmark had been in violation for a long time. It took five months and holding back approval of a business license, but we did achieve compliance, and that businessman is not mad at the city. Where this approach doesn't work I always have the option of writing the tag. I had to do that with Dan's Auto Repair. Mr. Winner spent much time dragging his feet and would only move under the threat of a citation. He reached a point where he would not do anymore clean up of his site (the old Stenger Auto Body on Centerville Rd.). I had no choice but to cite him. That case is still pending. A similar situation existed with Jacobsen's Excavating in the Ryan Industrial Park. The Jacobsen property was the worst in the industrial park. Jacobsen ignored my first three letters. We have been in court. Jacobsen plead guilty to a single count of maintaining a public nuisance. He was fined $100, with a suspended sentence of $700 and 30 d.ys. The suspension is contingent upon cleaning up all public nuisance issues within 30 days, completing paving and landscaping by 6 -30 -2002, and no same or similar offenses within one year. By Page 42