The city of Roseville will now fine hotels for excessive police calls as the number of calls received has increased dramatically.

The city council unanimously voted in late October to allow the city to charge commercial accommodation providers $ 250 for each police and building code “harassment” call made when the number of calls exceeds 10 per month. The city guides are also advocating for state lawmakers to allow cities to license hotels directly – rather than relying on local health authorities – so they can better address problem properties.

Roseville police responded to 1,465 police calls at the city’s 12 hotels last year, up from 867 in 2016, the city said. Three hotels – Motel 6, Norwood Inn, and Key Inn – accounted for more than 1,100 of those calls, said city manager Patrick Trudgeon.

“We are talking about excessive demands and demands on our police, terrible conditions with regard to code issues and criminal activities on the ground in places that are not under control,” Trudgeon told the council.

City guides and staff have been grappling with the problem for several years and have tried to work with hotel management, Trudgeon said. While staff know the 36,000-resident suburb is a regional shopping, entertainment, and business destination, those calls – ranging from theft to fighting to suspected drug use – are exaggerated, he said.

The three hotels either did not respond or declined to comment. Ramsey County Public Health Licenses Roseville Hotels.

According to a city report, Motel 6 had an average of 45 police calls a month over the past year. That means the motel could be billed nearly $ 9,000 a month for excessive police services if those numbers continue, Councilor Julie Strahan said during the council meeting.

“It adds up pretty quickly,” said Trudgeon.

Councilor Wayne Groff ultimately backed the move but said he feared the cheapest hotels would be hardest hit. He also worried that hotel workers were reluctant to call the police about drug overdoses and other life-threatening emergencies.

A fine on these properties will help the city cover the cost of overuse of services, but the main goal is to improve public safety, Trudgeon said. Medical emergencies and domestic violence calls are excluded from the regulation.

“We’re not trying to stop people from reporting dangerous situations or bad behavior,” said Dan Roe, Mayor of Roseville. “We want to make sure that management and owners do everything they can to address these types of behaviors in advance.”

Shannon Prather • 651-925-5037