As a 10-year resident of the Como Park neighborhood, a state employee and a union member, I was surprised to learn that St. Paul lacks a basic enforcement mechanism in use in all the other 25 largest cities in Minnesota: the ability to use administrative citations when ordinances or laws are violated.

Instead, the city must choose between issuing a letter with no authority behind it or charging the violator with a criminal offense – a heavy-handed, costly and lengthy approach that can drag on through years of appeals.

An administrative citation is essentially a civil fine – a simple and widely used method for correcting violations such as failure to maintain a rental property or to grant workers earned sick and safe time (a case from 2022 is still held up in the courts). The lack of this authority has led to long-running legal disputes over properties like the Lowry Apartments in downtown St. Paul, where code violations ultimately led to condemnation, forcing all residents to move out.

Surprisingly, the Charter Commission already recommended and the City Council approved an ordinance change in January 2025 to allow administrative citations. However, a small group of opponents petitioned to place this question on the November ballot, where it could easily be misunderstood as just another type of “fine.”

If we want a city that’s fair and equitable for everyone, we need fair, equitable and cost-effective methods for ensuring that our laws and ordinances are followed, regardless of income or status. I urge readers to vote “yes” in favor of the administrative citations charter amendment this November.

Suzanne S. Rhees,
Como Park