To all of those people who have received inspection notices about peeling paint, the City inspectors normally do not follow their own procedures manual. In Section VIII, page #3, it states that the inspector should "make an effort to personally contact the owner or occupant at the property and discuss the noted violations."
The reason they do not do this is they can generate income through the "fine" and "reinspection fee" process to raise revenue for the City. By the way, the inspection division makes around an $8 million profit annually (according to one of my inspection friends at the City). Steve Meldahl Jordan (work) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eduardo Parra" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 11:19 AM Subject: [Mpls] Paint Chipped Garage, et al... > Well, add us to the list of individuals who have received a notice for > failing to paint our garage. Our first read of the letter cause our blood > vessels in our heads to swell to almost bursting stage. After $30K++ in home > improvements (new roof on house/garage, heating system, basement tile system, > a dozen new windows, completely new/remodeled upstairs bathroom, upgraded > electrical throughout), we get this same letter from the Cleveland > Neighborhood Association. While we completely understand the intent of the > letter something seems a bit out of whack when after 3 years on my block we > have had to drive by a few dumps in need of serious repair or perhaps > demolishment. > > We did contact the city inspector regarding this and explained our situation, > he was quite flexible in allowing extending the two week deadline so that we > could pony up yet a few more thousand dollars to install electricity in the > garage and replace the garage door with a new one. > > Frustrated as we were, it wasn't so much about getting the letter, it was the > perception that the city isn't doing a good job at all at coordinating it's > efforts at keeping my neighborhood safe, livable, and orderly. I mean, if > the inspector has simply knocked on my door and invited himself through our > home, he might have discovered a home that has benefitted from 3 years > continuous upgrade project improvements and he might have gained valuable > insight into the value we place in home maintenance. Some might call this > approach customer service. > > And this is not the first time. Year's past we have received letters for > grass that is .0003 inches too long, yet houses on our block have gone months > go months without being mowed. Again, no coordination, accountability, or > appreciation for those who care about their homes, just blanket letters > threatening corrective action. > > One might take lessons from Miss Manners, or even Dear Abby who excel in > writing clear, concise and courteous letters and pull no punches letters. > But who has time and money to train city employees/neighborhood associations > to write such simple letters? > > J. Harmon writes about the house at 34th and Russell Ave N. What's the deal > here? We get threatening letters, pumping endless amounts of money into our > homes (if we can afford to), all the while having to endure the insult of > driving past dumps such as the one I mention year after year. > > In closing, after our blood vessels reduced in swelling to a healthy level, > we did call the city inspector and he was quite reasonable. Why is it that > city residents have to be the first to extend the courtesy of direct phone > conversation in order to resolve such issues? We were successful in working > out a reasonable timeline with the city inspector on remeding our issue. > > Waiting for my next letter here in Cleveland Neighborhood and for the City of > Minneapolis to start thinking as one city government rather than a collection > of feifdoms each acting or perceived to be acting as independent entities. > > Eduardo Parra > Cleveland > > > > TEMPORARY REMINDER: > 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) > > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
