Legalectric

Just the other day I was going back and forth with someone about assessments, and suggested that it shouldn’t be an assessment to individuals, that it should come out of the general fund. We’re fortunate in that we don’t have a house payment or car payments, but most regular folks have both, and to pay the assessment on top of living expenses, how will people manage? One family had assessment x2 because they have a house and a vacant lot, adding up to just over $12,000! HOW ON EARTH IS THIS WORKABLE?

Assessments add up. We’d had the “Great West Wall” construction on West, the Wall across from our house, and it was the project from hell, very intense, and the worse for the people living up above the wall, two houses nearly inaccessible for the full construction season. That was circa 2014, and a bit of 2015, and we’ve pretty much recovered from that, the project and the assessment. But we’re on a corner, so redo of both streets means assessment for both — though there’s a “corner discount,” but…

The redo of Sturtevant, and the water and sewer service underneath, is happening RIGHT NOW (Alan said that where they’re digging there, they dug up new stuff from the West redo, the fire hydrant and some big gate valves, a guy is wrenching on one right now — why take out? And let’s not have a fire here for a while.).

It’s for sure not as intense as West, but they’re out there, noising starting at 7:30 a.m., and it’s really hard to work with this going on, even with windows closed. In conjunction with this, we’re having to replace water service to our house, sewer service too. THIS WILL COST A FORTUNE! And that’s over and above the $5,000+ assessment by the City!

Then, when driving out to client meet and greet, I hear this:

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter proposes 15% property tax levy increase in next year’s budget

Here’s the case that was referred to above, SIX YEARS AGO. The focus was on taxation of non-profits, and that street assessments to non-profits (churches, etc.) was taxing them, therefore prohibited:

First Baptist Church of St. Paul v. City of St. Paul

And MPR piece on that case about assessments:

MN Supreme Court: St. Paul ‘assessments’ are really taxes

Wonder how this relates to Red Wing assessments? Someone suggested I contact the Mayor! Oh yeah, he’d love to hear from me! But I’ll rattle the cages of Mayor and City Council when I’ve got the scoop. So I guess I’ll harass Marshall Hallock to find out about that!