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,Neighborhood Nuisance Handbook Page 2 of 1 7 Many of the complaints filed with our offices did not have clear cut solutions, so it became necessary to develop legislation addressing these issues. The next step in the process is to provide you, the resident, with the necessary information so you can make the law work for you. Used properly, this Resident Handbook is intended to do just that. This handbook will assist you by providing brief descriptions of nuisances which are regulated by City ordinance and listing steps you can take to deal with them. This Resident Handbook makes you, your community councils and your block clubs more self reliant in dealing with neighborhood problems because it puts vital information at your finger tips. To facilitate its use, the handbook is organized by alphabetized subject headings, along with general information on making a complaint to City departmental officials. Public nuisance ordinances apply to a wide variety of problems, but the procedures under each ordinance are uniform for any situation covered by that ordinance. Therefore, in using the handbook, you will refer to the PROPERTY NUISANCE and PUBLIC NUISANCE sections frequently. However, you can determine which procedure applies to your problem by consulting the topic which most closely describes the problem. Use the index if your topic is not listed. The first section includes some general information and a list of telephone numbers for City departments or units which handle nuisances. HOW TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A NUISANCE Some general guidelines for making a complaint to the City include: 1. Don't assume that a complaint has already been made. 2. When you call the City, give your name, address and phone number. This information is kept confidential on property nuisance complaints, but is necessary in case an inspector needs to call you for more information. On police calls the identity of the caller is kept confidential only under certain circumstances (e.g. when the caller is a crime victim), and there may be cases in which you are asked to sign a police complaint. . 3. Give the address where the nuisance is located and list specifically what is wrong. The City needs specific complaints; for example, is it the exterior siding or is it a junk car in the yard? When does the noise or questionable activity occur? 4. Don't exaggerate. Be accurate and factual. 5. Give the City time to act. Housing code violations, for example, may take from ten days to several months to correct. Call again after a reasonable time to find out what is happening. 6. Call again if the problem recurs or if a new problem occurs. If an owner follows an inspector's order, the case is closed, so another complaint is needed to open it up again. 7. Remember that City staff are people too. They are concerned about responding to your needs. A reasonable tone and general politeness is welcomed. 8. Keep a record of your call. For example, you may wish to jot down the following information: Date of complaint call Address of problem Name of owner (if you know) Name(s) of tenant, owner or other person involved in the problem (if you know) Type(s) of problem (be as specific as possible) http://www.stpaul.gov/council/handbook.html 07/06/1999