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August 27, 2024 St. Anthony Council Work Session - 5 <br />Mayor Webster asked when reviewing with other cities code staff, do they find more benefit to hire a <br />contractor to go in and do the work and charge the homeowner. Mr. Sonterre stated he has read in <br />Code where other cities have taken that action. He is not comfortable doing that but would be more <br />comfortable to ask a Court to make that decision through a court order. Some cities use double fines for <br />second, third, etc. violations. Mayor Webster asked if other cities go onto property and take care of <br />violations without a court order and Mr. Sonterre stated he believes that is true. Mr. Sonterre stated <br />there are violations when residents do not obtain permits for doing work on their property. <br />Mr. Sonterre stated previously the number of directed observations of Code violations was 20%. Last <br />year the directed inspections of Code violations was 2%. There were 16 directed code compliance <br />violations in 2023. Some violations were investigated with no findings. We do not want our neighbors <br />turning against each other. <br />Councilmember Jenson stated in looking at the 12 steps there is a large effort to get people to comply. <br />If there is a citation in the language would that make the City not look mean spirited. Mr. Sonterre <br />stated these are a lot of steps but these steps apply to about 2% of the total interactions with residents. <br />The 12 steps do take a long time. <br />Mayor Webster referred to the tiers used in the school system. She asked Council for their thoughts on <br />citations. Councilmember Stephens stated it is an additional tool to be used. Councilmember Jenson <br />agreed and stated we are being more than fair. He is in favor of the administrative citation and the 12 <br />steps. Councilmember Doolan added it would be beneficial if people are applying for a permit for <br />changing their yard we could provide some information on making their yards sustainable. Mr. Sonterre <br />stated there are videos available on the website for three community education sessions. Mayor <br />Webster stated it makes sense to look at administrative citations as an additional tool. She suggested in <br />letters sent there be a timeline for compliance. Council recommended this be included in the next batch <br />of Code updates brought before the City Council for approval. <br />B.Renaming of Salo Park – Discussion only. <br />City Manager Yunker reviewed this comes up as over the years there is some confusion in the area given <br />the name. This is privately owned property. It is not a City park. It could be called Salo Amphitheater or <br />Salo Ponds as suggestions. Mayor Webster stated the name Salo would remain. City Manager Yunker <br />stated the request to change the name would go to Doran as they are the owners of the south side of <br />Salo Park. It would be a joint decision between the owners and the City. Mr. Yunker will reach out to <br />Doran regarding the name change. <br />Future Work Sessions: <br />The next Work Session will be held on September 10, 2024 in the Council Chambers. <br />Future Agenda Items: <br />Mayor Webster stated an email was received from an organization regarding a flavored tobacco <br />ordinance. They would do the research. Councilmember Jenson stated he would be in favor of having <br />that discussion as did the other Councilmembers indicated. <br />Councilmember Doolan suggested adding the rental properties increasing within the City. She would like <br />to look at the rules regarding renting. This is scheduled for the October work session.