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HRA Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Page 3 1 Chair: Dean Maschka 2 Vice Chair: Bill Majerus 3 Secretary: Masche 4 Executive Director: Patrick Trudgeon 5 6 Ayes: 7 7 Nays: 0 8 Motion carried. 9 10 The 2012 meeting dates were approved by consensus. Chair Maschka noted that he would be 11 unavailable for the March 20, 2012 meeting, with Vice Chair Majerus available to chair the 12 meeting on that date. 13 14 b.Discussion of multi-family rental properties 15 As a precursor to of this discussion, Housing Program Manager Kelsey distributed a bench 16 handout entitled, “Multi-Dwelling Unit Comparison 2007 – 2011 (Larpenteur Avenue and 17 attached hereto and made a part hereof. Rice Street Area,” 18 19 Roseville Police Chief Rick Mathwig prefaced his comments from his frame of reference 20 based on twenty-four (24) years of experience with the Roseville Police Department. Chief 21 Mathwig compared FBI crime statistics with those of Roseville, noting that Roseville crime 22 was close to urban core crimes nation-wide. Chief Mathwig noted that those statistics 23 consistently reflect that the crime rate increases as socio-economic issues increase. Chief 24 Mathwig also noted that it was typical that there were more issues requiring police response in 25 rental units, as they tended to follow socio-economic sections in communities and had similar 26 commonalities. 27 28 Chief Mathwig noted that the handout reviewed and compared four (4) multi-family rental 29 complexes in Roseville, prepared by the Police Department’s Community Relations staff 30 person, Sarah Mahmud. Chief Mathwig noted that the Roseville complexes immediately north 31 and west of the City of St. Paul were the highest crime areas, and that the crime rates then 32 tended to drop at the complexes further from Rice and Larpenteur, also comparable to 33 nationwide trends. Given the uniqueness of each complex, Chief Mathwig noted that it was 34 difficult to make comparable comparisons; however, he noted that two of the structures were 35 similar and located off Rice and Larpenteur. Chief Mathwig advised that the data represented 36 a five (5) year call comparison, and defined the variables for calls for service. Chief Mathwig 37 noted the Department’s efforts for pro-active community police visits at area shopping malls, 38 bars and restaurants throughout the community to ensure a police presence. 39 40 Chief Mathwig noted the reduced call requests at the Rose Vista and Hillsborough complexes, 41 and based that reduction in the on-site professional management and their skill sets in 42 screening tenants, aggressively pursuing evictions of problem tenants, and ensuring that 43 tenants comply with their by-laws and lease agreements. 44 45 Chief Mathwig noted that the Brittany/Marion and McCarron’s complexes do not provide this 46 same level of management, they experienced a high call rate. While recognizing the need for 47 the complexes to make money and the legal restrictions on screening tenants, Chief Mathwig 48 noted that their staff could screen tenants post-event through addendums to leases, as well as 49 learning effective management skills. Chief Mathwig noted that these minimal efforts would 50 reduce the Police Department’s call volume at those complexes, allowing them to better serve 51 the wider community. 52 53 In response to Mr. Trudgeon’s questions on whether there were any socio-economic 54 differences in the four apartment complexes, and the reason for the significant differences 55 among the four complexes; Chief Mathwig opined that he didn’t see any differences in the