Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Mayor Kuzma noted that the Police Department has these sound meters. <br /> <br />Zoning Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick said he also has a sound meter; however, they have <br />not been calibrated since he started working for the City and that it is hard for them to take an hour <br />sample with their devices. <br /> <br />Councilmember Musgrove shared that she thinks some of the titling seems a little inconsistent and <br />lacking in connective terminology between the subtitles. <br /> <br />Zoning Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick said they can format this in whatever way possible. <br />He noted that since this is the Nuisance Code, they could eliminate the word ‘nuisance’ from any <br />titles since it is all a part of this code. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell shared that she had heard a comment about the licenses being required for <br />tree services and that this is what Minneapolis does and added that the people who do not bother <br />to get a license up in the north metro as they would not have the expectation that they should get <br />one. She noted this will not keep those unlicensed to do this work from coming into town. She said <br />she does not know why they would require a City license for tree trimming unless it is just to <br />collect more revenue. She added that she sees this as an impediment to small businesses and would <br />like to see this be removed. <br /> <br />Zoning Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick shared he has been doing code enforcement for a <br />long time and one of the shadiest businesses he has come across is tree trimming. He noted he has <br />cited more illegal tree trimmers for damaging people's properties and leaving debris across <br />roadways than one could imagine. He added that a lot of metro cities do license tree trimming <br />companies. He explained they are required to be licensed due to tree diseases being spread to parks <br />and with trees being a valuable resource, they need to have an arborist on Staff. He noted that the <br />idea behind the licensing fee is not to prevent small businesses from doing their work, but rather <br />as a safeguard for residents. He said that requiring a license for these companies sets the good <br />people who are doing the right thing up to help the residents. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell said these stories prove her point as a disreputable person is not going to <br />get a City license either and it would require the homeowner to check and see if they have a license. <br />She noted that a license would not get the City out of this bind, it only puts another burden on the <br />business owners that are doing the responsible thing. She stated that requiring a City license is not <br />going to deter disreputable people; however, it may deter reputable businesses. <br /> <br />Mayor Kuzma stated he likes the fact that City licenses would be required as a lot of homeowners <br />do not think about checking to make sure that the company they are working with is bonded and <br />insured. <br /> <br />Zoning Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick explained this makes things easy for him when he <br />stops at a tree trimming site to ask the tree trimmer if they are licensed in the City. He shared he <br />has written tickets for tree trimmers, and they have then gone to get their license from the City for <br />a very low amount and the City is also able to check their insurances and the requirements so that <br />City Council Work Session / January 23, 2024 <br />Page 7 of 9 <br /> <br />