Tag: St. Paul City Council

St. Paul to Hold Community Meetings on Reparations

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Mayor Melvin Carter

A St. Paul City Council committee will soon be holding community meetings on the establishment of a “permanent standing commission” that aims to create “generational wealth” for descendants of slaves and increase “economic mobility and opportunity” for blacks.

The council’s Legislative Advisory Committee on Reparations, established last June after the idea was approved last January, says it will produce a report on this permanent commission by Friday, June 10, and lay out its recommendations on creating wealth and boosting black economic opportunity the following Wednesday, June 15.

But first, it will hold four community meetings — two virtual, two in person. The virtual meetings will take place on Thursday, April 7, from 5 to 6 p.m. and Friday, April 29, from noon to 1 p.m.

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St. Paul Police Chief Sends Mayor a Dire Warning About Understaffed Department

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Todd Axtell

St. Paul’s chief of police is pleading with city leaders for help once again.

Last Friday Chief Todd Axtell wrote a letter to Mayor Melvin Carter with a dire warning about the understaffed and overworked St. Paul Police Department.

Evidently not much has changed after a contentious Sept. 2021 meeting with the St. Paul City Council, in which Axtell sought a $3.1 million increase over what Mayor Carter initially proposed for the 2022 police budget.

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St. Paul City Council Ordinance Would Ban Restaurants From Using Non-Biodegradable Containers

Anthony Gockowski

A new proposal being considered by the St. Paul City Council would outlaw non-biodegradable takeout containers in city restaurants by 2021. According to The Pioneer Press, the proposal was conceived by council member Mitra Nelson, who lamented the fact that “restaurants are putting a lot of packaging out there that isn’t compostable, isn’t recyclable, and it’s filling up our landfills.” The idea was first brought to the St. Paul City Council in 2017, but was tabled for future consideration. This time around, Nelson and her colleague Jane Prince plan to coordinate two years of outreach to small businesses to help implement the ban. Some ideas being considered include group purchasing of biodegradable containers, and grants provided through Ramsey County and Washington County to help businesses pay for the containers. But Liz Rammer, president and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota and the Minnesota Restaurant Association, opposes the idea. “We have concerns that the city of St. Paul has not addressed the significant cost increases that will impact small businesses through such a ban,” she said. As The Pioneer Press’ Fred Melo notes, the ban would be the latest in a number of ordinances affecting small businesses in the city, including: a $15…

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