Thanks to Block Portrait Studios and Pace Automotive for their support.
West St. Paul City Council approved additional rent support and limited parking for boats, trailers, and RVs on city streets.
Expanded Rent Support
At the last meeting, City Council approved $50,000 in rent support for people impacted by the increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. Last night, Council added another $30,000 to respond to additional needs.
- Why: The ongoing arrests and detainment have resulted in many families staying home from work, school, church, and other activities, resulting in a plethora of needs. Many are impacted regardless of immigration status as ICE routinely detains U.S. citizens and those with no criminal record.
- Who: The initial $50,000 was directed at families through local schools in West St. Paul. The additional amount will go through schools outside of West St. Paul but to serve West St. Paul families. Recipients would need to be at or below 80% area median income (AMI). The initial funding helped 100 families. This additional funding will bring that to 130 to 140 families.
- Where: The initial amount went to Garlough, Moreland, Heritage, and the Early Learning Center—as well as Beyond the Yellow Ribbon (for anyone not connected to assistance through the schools). The new funding will go to Two Rivers, Friendly Hills, Somerset, and Pilot Knob.
- How: The total of $80,000 in rent support comes from Local Affordable Housing Aid (LAHA), a state program funded by sales tax that is required to be spent by local cities on affordable housing.
- Requirements: The money will go to nonprofits with standard safeguards, including income and residency verification, anti-duplication and anti-fraud controls, audit provisions, and reporting requirements.
- Council members on the issue:
- Robyn Gulley: “We got an email from School Board Member Jon Vaupel who let us know that us doing that in our Council inspired the Mendota Heights Council to take similar action. I was really proud of that. The fact that we could run interference on 100 families facing eviction is no small thing.” (Mendota Heights City Council approved $10,000 in emergency food aid in a split vote at their February 17 meeting.)
- Lisa Eng-Sarne: “We’ve all probably received 50-plus emails in support of measures like this. I’ve only received one that has been against the measures we’ve taken.”
Boat/Trailer/RV Parking Limits
Council approved limiting street parking for boats, trailers, motor homes, and other similar vehicles.
- Change: These vehicles are limited to parking on the street for up to 48 hours. In short: You can’t store your boat, trailer, or motor home on the street.
- Public hearing: No one spoke during the public hearing.
- Timeline: This item will come back at the next meeting for the final reading.
Appointments
After interviewing candidates at the last meeting, City Council made appointments to openings on city committess:
- Planning Commission: Tim Grimes
- Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee: Suzanne DeYoung and Beth Loechler
- Environmental Committee: Jordan Langner, Jiman Lee, and Elizabeth Lehman
Other Items on the Agenda
- Exterior grant: The Economic Development Authority (EDA) unanimously approved a $10,000 matching grant for the owner of 883/885 Smith Avenue to replace storefront glass. This is the location of Centsibly Chic and the new Soul aWear Circular Fashion.
- Snow: Council approved tweaks to the snow emergency ordinance, shortening the length from 72 hours to 48 hours and adding clarifications. No one spoke during the public hearing.
- Planning: During the OCWS, staff gave Council an update on strategic planning. Highlights included reiterating the city’s new branding, hoping to make a big splash with it at events this year, more than 160 applicants for a new community engagement coordinator, reimagined park spaces including the pool and horseshoe building, and a teaser of potential new business deals coming soon.
- Women: Council proclaimed March to be Women’s History Month.
Engage
- Watch: City Council, OCWS, and EDA meetings are archived online.
- Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.
We again had to hire a contributor to cover the ISD 197 School Board meeting happening on the same night as the Council meeting. We make local news freely available, but it’s not free. Join now to support local news and keep your community informed.