Ramsey County Law Library Blog

Readers, did you get out of the house to enjoy the beautiful weather we experienced last Sunday?  Did you perhaps go for a drive in the country?  Or did you bring out your bicycle or motorcycle for the first ride of the season?  Or maybe you considered or even attempted one of these activities, but quickly changed your plans when you saw how many new potholes Minnesota streets and highways picked up over the winter.    Minnesota pothole repair promises to be an extra-large project this year, which is why a legislative committee recently added $15 million into a transportation funding bill to pay for work.   St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman estimates that it will cost $70 million to repair the decayed streets of St. Paul alone.

Short of being extra-careful, there is little one can do about potholes in the immediate future until road crews can get to work on them.  Want to make sure a particular pothole gets its due attention?  There is online reporting information specifically for Minnesota, Ramsey County, and St. Paul potholes.  Have you suffered loss or injury due to a pothole that you feel warrants a tort action against the State?  The Minnesota Department of Transportation offers some information about the Minnesota Tort Claims Act.  For tort actions against municipalities, start by reading Minnesota Statute §466.

As our severe winter starts to wind down, it’s a good time to step back and take note of how critically important a subject like residential fire safety really is.  Unfortunately, we have seen a rash of  residential fire disasters in the area of late, such as here, here, and here.  Plus, this tragic Minneapolis occurrence cannot be ignored.  Who could forget this holiday headliner?  This other Minneapolis disaster from a few years ago only just now came to settlement.  A recent article in the Minnesota Lawyer quoted a local attorney as stating that there is a lack of fire safety education resources for residential landlords. 

That said, what can people do to prevent residential fires such as these?  Don’t underestimate the importance of good working smoke alarms, as people often do.  You may ask the St. Paul Fire Department for a free smoke detector, or they will make a house call to test your existing one.  If you are a tenant living in St. Paul and have a situation that you think warrants inspection, you may contact the City Dept. of Safety and Inspections at (651) 266-8989.  If you a landlord of a single-family rental or duplex in St. Paul and don’t live on the premises, you are required to register your property.  More information is available at the City Dept. of Safety and Inspections website.  Additionally, if you are a landlord or attorney practicing in housing law, you may want to purchase your own copy of the Minnesota State Fire Code. 

Finally, Ramsey County landlords and tenants are both welcome to attend our Housing and Conciliation Court Clinic where they can present their questions to a volunteer attorney.

As this brutal winter brings us up to tax time, many eligible folks can at least find some comfort in a possible tax refund.  Families in particular owe it to themselves to be aware of what credits they may be eligible for.  The most visible credit for families is The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit for people who worked in 2013.  The credit ranges from $2 to $6,044. Eligibility and credit amount depends on your income, family size, and other factors.  Unfortunately, about one in five taxpayers eligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit fail to claim it.  You can quickly glean your eligibility and for roughly how much with the EITC Estimator.  Other oft-overloooked credits are the Minnesota Dependent Care Tax Credit  and the K-12 Education Deduction and Credit.

Need some help preparing your tax forms?  To find one of the more than 250 free tax preparation sites in Minnesota, see  the Minnesota Departrment of Revenue  (income eligibility restrictions apply).

DEED Librarian Dru Frykberg

It’s good news that unemployment is slowly but surely shrinking across the country, with national unemployment down to 7%.  Minnesota, which weathered the recession better than most states, currently has 4.6% unemployment.  Yet, state officials would still like to see unemployment numbers continue to fall with the creation of more jobs, which would allow still more Minnesotans to get back to work.  This is no doubt why Governor Mark Dayton recently announced that businesses looking to expand their operations and hire new workers in Minnesota may qualify for assistance from the newly-created Minnesota Job Creation Fund.  Administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the goal of this $25 million program is to create an estimated 5,000 new jobs statewide and attract another $450 million of private investment.  DEED is currently accepting applications from businesses seeking financial assistance to expand or locate in Minnesota. Businesses engaged in manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and technology may be eligible.  More information on the Minnesota Job Creation Fund is available here.

Are you looking to start a business or expand your existing business but find you have questions? Much free information to assist you in starting or administering your business is available through DEED and can be ordered through this link.   Assistance in finding answers to specific questions may also be found by contacting DEED through their website, visiting their convenient St. Paul skyway location or by calling 651-259-7114.

For soldiers returning home from active duty, the successful reintegration back into civilian life often poses one of their biggest battles.  In addition to the usual mental health issues and employment challenges, this struggle can also leave veterans more vulnerable to run-ins with the criminal justice system.   This is the reality behind the recent launch of the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office’s newest collaboration, the Ramsey County Veterans Court. 

With the help of a $350,000 federal grant, this effort “is targeted at veterans charged with nonviolent crimes who may be suffering from emotional and mental health issues, chemical dependency and employment problems connected to their service.” This project has much in common with the successful Mental Health Court insofar as using social services to address the underlying problems that can put veterans on the wrong side of the law, but also brings local and federal veterans officials to the table. According to St. Paul City Attorney Sara Grewing, the program will also connect veterans with resources like counseling, health care and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Another cornerstone of the Veterans Court is fellow-veteran mentorship.

The Veterans Court is designed to handle up to 25 cases at a time.  According to Kim Bingham (assistant director of the criminal division of the Ramsey County Attorney’s office), police will distribute business cards with Veterans Court contact information to suspected criminals who have served in the military, which will then allow veterans to apply for the program.  You can view the Veterans Court Facebook page  or find other Ramsey County veterans services here.