Today, a legal victory for Twin City tenants who receive housing vouchers. Then, homeowners react to the new Home Owner Association laws. And, a Northeast Marina celebrates long-term upgrades.
—–Executive Producer: Victor Palomino Producer: Kylie Kendall Anchor: Grace JacobsonReader scripting: Victor Palomino Fact checking: Joel Glaser, Victor Palomino Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, a legal victory for Twin City tenants who receive housing vouchers. Then, homeowners react to the new Home Owner Association laws. And, a Northeast Marina celebrates long-term upgrades.
I'm Gracie J.
The Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a Minneapolis ordinance banning landlords from discriminating against tenants who receive housing vouchers. The Housing Choice Voucher program helps low-income families pay for housing.
Minneapolis passed the ordinance in 2017, but several landlords sued, claiming it was an unconstitutional. The court ruled against the landlords, finding the city does not owe them payment. The ordinance has support from groups, including the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the Housing Justice Center, and the Attorney General. Tenants outside Minneapolis are not covered by the ordinance.
In today's main story, new Homeowner Association Laws grant new protections, but some homeowners still have concerns about how much the new law will help them. Kylie Kendall with more.
Roxanne Williams: I have certainly uncovered what I think is just kind of an insidious industry.
Kylie Kendall: Roxanne Williams lives in an HOA in Otsego, northwest of the Twin Cities. One fall day a few years back, she received a notice from her HOA board.
Roxanne Williams: And all of a sudden we were told we need new roofs. What the heck is going on here? Our roofs are beautiful. What in the world is this all about?
Kylie Kendall: She was told a replacement was needed because of storm damage.
Roxanne Williams: And there was no damage. And I took photos of it. I've got photos to this day. It's in beautiful condition.
Kylie Kendall: That's when Roxanne decided to investigate. She found the contract of the roofing deal was initiated a week before the storm even hit.
Roxanne Williams: It was shocking to me. That told me there's something wrong here. Something is going on.
Kylie Kendall: Roxanne reached out to her property manager to ask about the contract, but was redirected to the HOAs attorney.
Roxanne Williams: I thought, if you did nothing wrong, then why are you getting an attorney involved?
Kylie Kendall: The attorney never answered a question about the roofing contract. She then received a shocking fee.
Roxanne Williams: Here's an extra 700 and some dollars added to my account, and the only thing it said was something like attorney bill forward.
Kylie Kendall: She asked for an invoice, but only received more fees and a warning. If she didn't pay them, they could foreclose her home.
Roxanne Williams: It's just dirty. It's just so dirty.
Kylie Kendall: Roxanne is just one of the many homeowners having issues with their HOA leadership.
Sherrie Marcy: Then we got a new board. It got to be more authoritarian.
Kylie Kendall: Sherrie Marcy has been living in her Arden Hills HOA, northeast of the Twin Cities, for eight years.
Sherrie Marcy: I have I received three violation notices.
Kylie Kendall: Sherrie received these notices after posting her concerns about the leadership on their community message boards.
Sherrie Marcy: The second one I put up was about the assessments, and that was a major concern to everybody.
Kylie Kendall: Her new HOA board was amending their rules to let the board raise homeowners' monthly fees by 15% without approval from owners.
Sherrie Marcy: And they assured us, "Don't worry. They won't raise it exorbitantly because they'll have to pay it too." And I thought to myself, Well, then don't put it in.
Kylie Kendall: But they lost the vote, and the board approved the 15% increase. Sherrie says she was in favor of the HOA Reform Bill, which included 41 recommendations, like getting rid of excessive fines and setting conflict of interest standards. But only one passed: the creation of the ombudsperson.
Sherrie Marcy: And there were a whole raft that we were so excited about.
Kylie Kendall: Mark Foster, the Vice President of HOA Leadership Network, said more transparency would be good for HOA boards.
Mark Foster: Shining sunlight on the issues, especially board issues, is always good.
Kylie Kendall: But he also said they feel the bill is egregious and not necessary.
Mark Foster: We really want to have more education and less legislation.
Kylie Kendall: Homeowners are hoping the bill will come back around next year. Sherrie says since these issues--
Sherrie Marcy: The feeling of community changed.
Kylie Kendall: Kylie Kendall for North Star Stories.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and community members are celebrating the completion of the Hat Point Marina and Ferry Terminal in northeastern Minnesota. The upgrades mark the end of nearly a decade of work led by the Grand Portage Band. The 5.2 million-dollar project was funded through federal grants combined with local investments. The 27-slip marina is owned and operated by the Grand Portage Band. It sits next to the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino and is centrally located on Lake Superior between Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Grand Marais.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.