The St. Paul ballot question that could matter a lot to landlords and employers

One of St. Paul’s ballot questions aims to let the city to add a new layer of fines against those who break local laws.

The question voters will be asked — whether “to authorize the issuance of Administrative Citations” — might sound bureaucratic. But advocates point to real-world examples of where these citations could make a change.

Think of the abandoned CVS at the corner of University and Snelling avenues in the Midway neighborhood. Or the downtown buildings where skyways have been illegally closed. Or employers who did not comply with the city’s sick leave policies at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

As it stands, St. Paul cannot levy fines against rulebreakers. City officials can send letters and give warnings. If the city has to step in and fix a problem — for example, clean up trash or board up a building — St. Paul can bill the property owner for that cost. But the charges cannot be more than the cost of that work.

Opponents of the measure worry that if it passes, city officials could use administrative citations to give steep fines for minor infractions, such as un-shoveled snow or unkempt grass.

The City Council unanimously approved adding administrative citations to St. Paul’s city charter in January. Ordinarily, a unanimous vote would be enough to amend the charter.

But a group of residents and a former City Council member opposed to the idea mounted a successful campaign to put the measure to voters instead.

Adding administrative citations to the city charter requires a unanimous vote, and former Council Member Jane Prince was the sole vote against administrative citations when the issue was brought for a vote in 2021 and 2023, blocking the measure each time.

She still worries the city could abuse the power to fine without limit.

“If you pass something and say, ‘Trust us, we’ll be sure to make it fair,’ it’s not reassuring to me,” Prince said.

Peter Butler, a resident who helped collect signatures to put the question on the ballot after the council’s January vote, said he wanted to make sure voters had a chance to weigh in on a big change in city law.

“I viewed this change as a substantial increase in the city’s power, and I think elected leaders should not be the ones who decide what powers they have,” Butler said.

All seven City Council members support the measure, as do the leading mayoral candidates, Mayor Melvin Carter and state Rep. Kaohly Her. The two have even campaigned together to support the initiative.

Proponents say administrative citations could be used to push property owners to take care of neglected apartments and office buildings.

“Too many landlords in St. Paul treat tenant protections as optional. Why? Because they can,” said Jessica Szuminski, an attorney with the Housing Justice Center, during a news conference Thursday. ”Most violations result in no action at all."

Officials in the city’s Department of Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity said earlier this year that they hoped to use administrative fines to push employers to follow city laws for earned sick and safe time and crack down on wage theft.

Until now, such investigations could drag out for months or years, according to the department, with employers and their attorneys delaying city investigations by being slow to provide information and comply with city requests for meetings.

Labor unions, including the AFL-CIO and SEIU, are campaigning for the measure, as is the progressive group Isaiah.

If a majority of voters mark “Yes,” the measure will pass.