HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 10-21 HCA AGENDA
BROOKLYN CENTER
HOUSING COMMISSION
October 21, 2008
7:00 p.m.
CounciUCorrunission Room
Brooklyn Center City Hall
1. Call to Order: 7:00 p.m.
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Approval of Minutes May 20, 2008 and
June 17, 2008
5. Welcome New Cornnussion Member
Gretchen Knutson
6. Chairperson's Report
7. Council Liaison Report
8. Review Housing Cominission 2008
Accomplisllments to Date
9. Identify Goals for Remainder of 2008
10. Review Abandoned Vehicles Ordinance
Provisions (see attached ordinance sections
2-103 and 19-103)
11. Other Business
12. Adjournment: 8:30 PM
CHAP'TER 2- ABANDONED AND UNCLAIlVIED PROPERTY
Section 2-101. DEFINITIONS.
a. "Abandoned Property" means property that, after appropriate notification to the
property owner, the owner fails to redeem, or property to which the owner relinquishes
possession without reclaiming the property.
b. "Unclaimed Property" means property lawfully coming into the possession of the City
and remaining unclaimed by the owner.
Section 2-102. DISPOSITION OF ABANDONED AND UNCLAIlVIED PROPERTY.
a. Procedure. Except for vehicles impounded pursuant to 2-103, et seq. of this Chapter,
all abandoned and unclaimed property will be disposed of as provided in this section,
which is adopted pursuant to M.S. §471.195, as it may be amended from time to time.
b. Storage. The department of the city acquiring possession of the abandoned or unclaimed
property will arrange for its storage. If city facilities are unavailable or inadequate, the
department may arrange for storage at a privately-owned facility.
c. Claim by Owner. The owner may claim the abandoned or unclaimed property by
exhibiting satisfactory proof of ownership and paying the city any storage or maintenance
costs incurred by it. A receipt for the abandoned or unclaimed property must be obtained
upon release to the owner.
d. Sale. After the abandoned or unclaimed property has been in the possession of the City
for at least 60 days, the property may be sold to the highest bidder at a public auction or
sale or by a private sale through a nonprofit organization that has a significant mission of
community service. The City Manager or the City Manager's designee may decide
whether the sale will be public or private. If the sale is to be by public auction, the City
shall give ten days' published notice describing the abandoned or unclaimed property
found or recovered and to be sold, and specifying the time and place of the sale. The
notice must be published at least once in a legal newspaper in the city.
e. Proceeds. The proceeds of the sale will be placed in the general fund of the City. If the
former owner makes application and furnishes satisfactory proof of ownership within six
months of the sale, the former owner will be paid the proceeds of the sale of the
abandoned or unclaimed property less the costs of storage and the proportionate part of the
cost of published notice and other costs of the sale.
City of Brooklyn Center 2-1 City Ordinance
i
Section 2-103. ABANDONED VEHICLES.
a. Incorporation of State Statute. M.S. Chapter 168B, and Minn. Rules Chapter 7035, as
they may be amended from time to time, are hereby adopted by reference. Except as
provided in Section 2-105 of this Chapter, the disposition of abandoned vehicles shall
be governed by M.S. Chapter 168B.
b. Additional Findings. The City finds that, in circumstances involving certain health and
safety concerns, it is necessary to apply more stringent regulations than those contained
in M.S. Chapter 168B. Accordingly, the City adopts the following additional
regulations in Sections 2-104 and 2-105. I
I
Section 2-104. VIOLATION TO ABANDON MOTOR VEHICLE. A person who abandons, parks,
keeps, places or stores any junk vehicle or inoperable vehicle on any public, or on any
private property without the consent of the person in control of the property is guilty of
a misdemeanor.
Section 2-105. AIJTHORITY TO IlVIPOLTND VEHICLES.
a. Inoperable or junk vehicles on public property. No person shall park, keep, place, store
or abandon any junk vehicle or inoperable vehicle on a public street, alley, or public
property within the city. The City Manager or Manager's designee or any peace officer
employed or whose services are contracted for by the city may take into custody and
impound any inoperable or junk vehicle.
b. Unauthorized vehicles. The City Manager, Manager's designee, or any peace officer
employed or whose services are contracted for by the city, may take into custody and
impound any unauthorized vehicle under M.S. 169.041 as it may be amended from
time to time. A vehicle may also be impounded after it has been left unattended in one
of the following public locations for the indicated period of time:
l. On a highway and properly tagged by a peace officer, four hours;
2. Located so as to constitute an accident or traffic hazard to the traveling public,
as detern by a peace officer, immediately; or
3. That is a parking facility or other public property owned or controlled by a unit
of government, properly posted, four hours.
c. Illegally parked vehicles. The City Manager, Manager's designee, or any peace officer
employed or whose services are contracted for by the city, may take into custody and
impound any vehicle that is illegally parked, the owner of which has been ordered to
remove it.
City of Brooklyn Center 2-2 City Ordinance
d. Vehicles impeding road or utility activities. The City Manager, Manager's designee, or
any peace officer employed or whose services are contracted for by the city, may take
into custody and impound any vehicle that is impeding, obstructing, or interfering with
the repair, construction, or maintenance activities of public utilities or public
transportation. Except in an emergency situation, reasonable notice must be given to
the vehicle owner or user of such activities.
e. Vehicles obstructing traffic or emergency response. The City Manager, Manager's i
designee, or any peace officer employed or whose services are contracted for by the city, I
may take into custody and impound any vehicle, whether occupied or not, that is: (1) i
f an rdinance or state statute• 2
found stopped, standing, or pazked in violation o o
reported stolen; or (3) impeding firefighting or other emergency activities, snow
removal or plowing, or the orderly flow of traffic.
f. Notice and hearing.
1. The notice and hearing requirements in this paragraph do not apply to vehicles
described in Section 2-105(a) (e).
2. Before impounding a junk vehicle or inoperable vehicle, the Manager or
authorized designee must give 10 days' written notice through service by mail,
by posting a notice on the property, or by personal delivery to the owner of or
person in control of the property on which the vehicle is located. When the
property is occupied, service upon the occupant is deemed service upon the
owner. Where the property is unoccupied or abandoned, service may be by mail
to the last known owner of record of the property or by posting on the property.
The notice must state:
a) A description of the vehicle;
b) That the vehicle must be moved or properly stored within 10 days of
service of the notice;
c) That if the vehicle is not removed or properly stored as ordered, the
vehicle will be towed and impounded at an identified location;
d) That the vehicle may be reclaimed in accordance with the procedures
contained in M.S. §168B.07 or disposed of in accordance with M.S.
168B.08; and
e) That the owner of the vehicle or the owner of or person in control of the
property on which the vehicle is located may in writing request a hearing
before the City Manager or authorized designee.
City of Brooklyn Center 2-3 City Ordinance
CHAPTER 19 PUBLIC NUISANCES AND PETTY OFFENSES I
NUISANCES GENERALLY
Section 19-101. PUBLIC NLTISANCE DEFINED. Whoever, by act or failure to perform a
legal duty, intentionally does any of the following is guilty of maintaining a public nuisance, and is
punishable as set forth herein:
1. Maintains or permits a condition which unreasonably annoys, injures or endangers
the safety, health, morals, comfort, or repose of any number of inembers of the
public; or
2. Interferes with, obstructs, or renders dangerous for passage, public streets, highway
or right of way, or waters used by the public; or
3. Is guilty of any other act or omission declared by statutory law, the common law, or
this ordinance to be a public nuisance, whether or not any sentence is specifically
provided therefor; or
4. Permits real property under his or her control to be used to maintain a public nuisance
or rents the same, knowing it will be so used.
Section 19-102. DEFINITIONS. The following words, when used in this ordinance,
shall have the meanings ascribed to them:
1. Garbage includes all putrescible animal, vegetable or other matter that attends the
preparation, consumption, display, dealing in or storage of ineat, fish, fowl, birds,
fruit, or vegetables, including the cans, containers or wrappers wasted along with
such materials.
2. Rubbish is nonputrescible solid wastes such as wood, leaves, trimmings from shrubs,
dead trees or branches thereof, shavings, sawdust, excelsior, wooden waste, printed
matter, paper, paper board, paste boards, grass, rags, straw, boots, shoes, hats and all
other combustibles not included under the term garbage.
Section 19-103. PUBLIC NLJISANCES FURTHER DEFINED. It is hereby declared to be a
public nuisance to permit, maintain, or harbor any of the following:
1. Diseased animals, fish or fowl, wild or domestic, whether confined or running at
large.
2. Carcasses of animals, fish or fowl, wild or domestic, not buried or destroyed within
24 hours after death.
City of Brooklyn Center 19-1 City Ordinance
3. Garbage not stored in rodent free and fly-tight containers, or; garbage stored so as to
emit foul and disagreeable odors, or; garbage stored so as to constitute a hazard to
public health.
4. Accumulations of rubbish as defined herein.
5. The dumping of any effluent, garbage, rubbish, wastewater, or other noxious
substance upon public or private property.
6. Any open well, pit, excavation, structure, barrier or other obstruction which
endangers public health, safety or welfare.
7. The pollution of any public or private well or cistern, any public stream, lake, canal,
or body of water by effluent, garbage, rubbish or other noxious substance.
8. Any noxious weeds, or any other vegetation which endangers public health, safety or
welfare, or which is contraband within the meaning of state or federal laws.
9. The emitting or production of dense smoke, foul odor, noise, noxious fumes, gases,
soot, cinders or sparks in quantities which unreasonably annoy, injure, or endanger
the safety, health, morals, comfort, or repose of any number of inembers of the
public.
10. The public exposure of persons havmg a contagious disease or condition which
endangers public health, safety or welfare.
11. Accumulation of junk, disused furniture, appliances, machinery, automobiles and
parts thereof or any matter which may become a harborage for rats, snakes or vermin,
which creates a visual blight, or which may be conducive to fire, or which endangers
the comfort, repose, health, safety or welfare of the public.
12. The parking and/or storage of construction equipment, farm vehicles and equipment,
or a commercial vehicle with a length greater than 21 feet, or a height greater than 8
feet, or a gross vehicle weight greater than 9,000 pounds, continuously for more than
two hours on any property within a residential zoning district or being lawfully used
for residential purposes or on any public street adjacent to such properties. Such
equipment and vehicles shall include, but are not limited to, the following: dump
trucks, construction trailers, back hoes, front-end loaders, bobcats, well drilling
equipment, farm trucks, combines, thrashers, tractors, tow trucks, truck-tractors, step
vans, cube vans and the like.
The prohibitions of this subdivision shall not apply to the following:
City of Brooklyn Center 19-2 City Ordinance
a) Any equipment or vehicle described above being used by a public utility,
governmental agency, construction company, moving company or similar
company which is actually being used to service a residence not belonging to
or occupied by the operator of the vehicle.
b) Any equipment or vehicle described above which is actually making a pickup I I
or delivery at the location where it is parked. Parking for any period of time
beyond the time reasonably necessary to make such a pickup or delivery and
in excess of the two hour limit shall be unlawful.
c) Any equipment or vehicle exceeding the above described length, height or
weight limitations, but which is classified as recreation equipment as
specified in Minnesota Statutes 168.011, Subdivision 25.
d) Any equipment or vehicle described above which is parked or stored on
property zoned residential and being lawfully used as a church, school,
cemetery, golf course, park, playground or publicly owned structure provided
the equipment or vehicle is used by said use in the conduct of its normal
affairs.
e) Any equipment or vehicle described above which is parked or stored on
property which is zoned residential and the principal use is nonconfornung
within the meaning of Section 35-111 of the City Ordinances, provided such
parking or storage is not increased or expanded after the effective date of this
ordinance.
13. The outside parking and/or storage on vacant property of usable or unusable vehicles,
trailers, watercraft, snowmobiles, recreational vehicles, all-terrain vehicles,
construction vehicles and equipment, or similar vehicles, materials, supplies,
equipment, ice fish houses, skateboard ramps, play houses or other nonpermanent
structures except as may be permitted by the Zoning or Sign Ordinances.
14. The outside parking and/or storage on occupied residentially used property of usable
or nonusable vehicles, trailers, watercraft, snowmobiles, recreational vehicles, all
terrain vehicles and similar vehicles, materials, supplies, equipment, ice fish houses,
skateboard ramps, or other nonpermanent structures unless they comply with the
following:
a) Vehicles, trailers and watercraft may be parked or stored outside in any yard
provided, however, if they are parked or stored in the front yard area, or a
yard area abutting a public street, the must be arked or stored on an
Y P
authorized parking or driveway area or a paved or graveled extension of an
authorized parking or driveway area and be in compliance with Section 19-
City of Brooklyn Center 19-3 City Ordinance
1301 through 1305 of the City Ordinances. Authorized driveways and paved
or graveled extensions thereof may not exceed 50% of the front yard or a yard
area abutting a public street unless approved by the City Council as part of a
plan approval for an apartment complex pursuant to Section 35-230 of the
City Ordinances.
b) �Materials, supplies, equipment other than construction or fann equipment,
may be stored or located in any yard other than a front yard or a yard abutting
a public street provided they are screened from public view by an opaque
fence or wall at least six feet high or high enough to prevent these items from
being seen from abutting property at ground level.
c) All vehicles, watercraft and other articles allowed to be stored outside in an
approved manner on occupied residentially used property must be owned by a
person who resides on the property. (Persons who are away at school or in
the military service for periods of time, but still claim the property as their
legal residence shall be considered residents on the property.)
d) The prohibitions of this section of the ordinance shall not apply to commonly
accepted materials or equipment such as playground equipment, allowable
accessory structures, flagpoles, air conditioner condensers, laundry drying
equipment, arbors, trellises, properly stacked firewood and temporary storage
of building materials for home improvement projects in process.
Section 19-104. LIlVIITATIONS ON KEEPING OF ANIlVIALS. It is hereby declared to be a
public nuisance to permit, maintain or harbor any of the following:
L More than two (2) dogs exceeding six months of age unless a private kennel license
was issued prior to April 23, 2001, as set forth in Chapter 1 of the Brooklyn Center
City Ordinances.
2. More than three (3) cats exceeding six months of age.
3. Any combination of more than five (5) animals exceeding six months of age.
4. Horses, cows, sheep, pigs, goats, swine, mules, llamas, or other hoofed animals,
chickens, ducks, geese, or other agricultural animal or domestic fowL
5. Live wild animals, reptile, ar fowl, of types that are not naturally tame or gentle but
are of a wild nature or disposition that, because of their size, vicious nature, or other
characteristics would constitute a danger to human life or property. Examples of
such wild animals include, but are not limited to, bears, lions, tigers, jaguars,
leopards, bobcat, cougars, cheetahs, lynx, ocelots, wolves, foxes, coyotes, dingoes,
City of Brooklyn Center 19-4 City Ordinance