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Frequently Asked Questions

The material in this question and answer series is for your information only. It is not legal advice and is not designed to be used in place of legal advice. You should consult your own attorney for legal advice. The St. Joseph Legal Department provides this series to provide a general summary of procedures concerning violations of city ordinances in the City of St. Joseph, Missouri. It is issued to inform generally, not to advise of specific rights. As with any general information, the answers given here may not specifically apply to you.

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1. What qualifies as an emergency for calls that are after hours?
2. What are your adoption fees?
3. What are the redemption fees?
4. What do I do if I've lost my pet?
5. What do I do if I've found an animal?
6. What are the license requirements for a pet?
7. Is there a ban on pit bulls or other breeds?
8. Is there a leash law?
9. What can I do about a barking dog?
10. My neighbor doesn't pick up his pet's waste and now it stinks, what can I do?
11. How do you handle animal bites?
12. Is there a handling fee for unwanted animals?
13. Is there a handling fee for stray animals?
14. When do I need a breeders or litter permit?
15. Is it a crime to abandon an unwanted animal?

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1. What are your adoption hours?
2. Where can I view adoptable pets?
3. Do I need an appointment to see a pet?
4. The pet that I want to meet is in foster, how do I set up an appointment to meet them?
5. The dog that I want to meet is in is in the Puppies for Parole program, how do I set up an appointment to meet them?
6. Can I place a hold on any of your adoptable pets?
7. What if I want to adopt a pet that is on stray hold?
8. I have another pet at home, can I bring them to meet the pet I am interested in adopting?
9. What do your adoption fees include?
10. What happens if I need to return the pet that I adopted?
11. What if I have questions after I get my pet home?
12. Do I need to fill out an adoption application?
13. Can I bring my adopted pet home the day I adopt it?

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1. What is St. Joseph's current ad valorem tax rate?
2. What is St. Joseph's total budget?
3. What is Ad Valorem?
4. What is St. Joseph's current Ad Valorem tax rate? Break down by funds.
5. How much does the average citizen pay based on the above tax rate?
6. What is the total Sales Tax rate in St. Joseph?
7. What is the Operating Budget?
8. What is CIP?
9. How is the CIP developed?
10. What revenue sources are used to finance CIP?
11. Why use General Obligation Bonds?
12. What are “funds” and why does the City have them?
13. What is the General Fund?
14. What is an Enterprise Fund?
15. What is Capital Outlay?
16. What is the City of St. Joseph's fiscal year?
17. Where can I get a copy of City of St. Joseph budget?

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1. What building codes have been adopted by the City of St. Joseph?
2. What construction projects need building permits?
3. Why a building permit?
4. What are plan requirements?
5. What's a footing and foundation permit?
6. Do I need an occupational license?
7. What about subcontractors?
8. How are driveways and sidewalks handled?

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1. How do I become more involved in city government?
2. How do I get on the Council's Agenda?
3. What does the City charter say about the City Clerk?
4. How do I contact a City Council member?
5. How do I find out information about public meeting agendas?
6. When are Council meetings held?
7. Are there any rules when attending a Council meeting?
8. What kind of City (government) is St. Joseph?
9. When was the first Council meeting held?
10. What council district do I live in, and who is my district Council member?

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1. What is a combined sewer overflow (CSO)?
2. Are CSOs a new problem?
3. What can I do to keep local water safe and clean?
4. How much rain does it take for a CSO discharge to occur?
5. Can CSOs be eliminated?

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1. Is any assistance available to make repairs to our home?
2. How do I qualify for these programs?
3. What happens if I qualify?
4. What are the interest rates?
5. What is the Emergency Assistance Program?

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1. How much do I owe for this year on personal property or real estate?
2. Where do I purchase a garage sale permit? How much do they cost? How many days can my garage sale be? How many garage sales may I have per year?
3. When and where did I get this parking ticket? Who do I call for information on it? Where do I pay this ticket?
4. Does this business have a business license? When is my license fee due? How do I figure my license fee?
5. How much do I owe for this year on personal property or real estate? Why did you increase my assessments?
6. Do I owe any taxes on my personal property or cars?
7. What work was performed for the special assessment billing I've received?
8. Why do I need an alarm permit when I pay an alarm company to monitor my system?
9. What does my alarm fee give me?

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1. How will I know if there is a weather-related emergency nearby?
2. Where are the weather sirens located?
3. What is the Emergency Operations Plan?

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1. Where is the sewer line for my property?
2. Where is the right-of-way at my address/for my street/alley?
3. Where is the road located in the right-of-way?
4. I'm on septic, how can I get connected to the City sewer?
5. My road is mess, how come it is not being resurfaced and you've resurfaced this other road twice?
6. I seem to have a hole/depression in my yard, can you tell me what it is from?
7. I am having a drainage/mud problem from my neighbor's/commercial business?
8. The street is draining rain water onto my property, what can I do about that?

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1. Can I prepare food in my home kitchen and sell it for extra money?
2. Are all food service workers required to wear disposable gloves while handling food?
3. Are artificial fingernails allowed by employees in a food service establishment?
4. Does your department do any testing for mold?
5. Are food service workers required to wear hair restraints?
6. What if my child tests positive for lead?
7. What roll does nutrition play in lowering a child’s blood lead level?
8. Why is lead dangerous?

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1. How can I become a firefighter in St. Joseph?
2. What programs are available from the Fire Department?
3. When are the burning periods?
4. The Fire Department has been inspecting my building for many years and has never mentioned a violation in the past. Why are they indicating a violation this time?
5. When I need a permit, whom do I call for an inspection?
6. What is a KNOX Box?
7. Can I purchase a rapid entry key system (Knox Box) for my business?
8. What code does the City of St Joseph Fire Department use?
9. My building has a sprinkler system. Are there things I should do to maintain the system?
10. My building has a fire alarm system. Are there things I should do to maintain the system?
11. Our alarm system keeps having false alarms. The alarm goes off but no fire is found. Can’t we do something about this?
12. I’ve heard quite a lot about carbon monoxide. Could I have this in my house and do I need a carbon monoxide detector?
13. Can I burn brush or yard waste in St. Joseph?
14. How can I get a fire truck to come to my event?
15. People completely disregard the fire lanes in my building. What can I do about it?
16. If during an inspection a violation is found how long do I have to fix it?

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1. How do I become a foster parent?
2. I found a litter of kittens. Can I foster them through your program?
3. What supplies do I need to provide myself?
4. Can my foster interact with my resident pets?
5. Can my children interact with the foster?
6. Do I have to have people come to my home?
7. If people come to my home and want to adopt my foster pet, what do they do next?
8. Who do I call for help?
9. Do my owned pets have to be up to date on their vaccines?
10. Do my owned pets have to be altered before I foster?
11. Can my owned pets come to St. Joseph Animal Control and Rescue’s for care? Is there a discount?
12. What if I must leave town unexpectedly?

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1. How do I get a copy of my birth certificate?
2. What do I need a birth certificate for?
3. Can I get a death certificate from your office?
4. How can I pay for a birth or death certificate?
5. How do I make a change to a certificate?
6. How do I obtain a copy of a birth certificate from another state?
7. I live out of state and need a copy of a Missouri birth or death certificate in a hurry. What other options are there?
8. I’m traveling to another country. Do I need any vaccinations?
9. How prepared are St. Joseph and the rest of Buchanan County for a bioterrorism attack?
10. Is there a charge for children or adult immunizations?
11. Do I need to start all my shots over if I’m late getting one of my immunizations?
12. Is there a charge for a pregnancy test?
13. How can I get temporary Missouri HealthNet?
14. What is the HIV test?
15. What is WIC?
16. How do I get WIC?
17. What foods can I get on WIC?
18. What do we bring to the certification/recertification?
19. How can I be certain my breastfed baby is getting enough to eat?
20. Where can I get more formula?
21. Where are the food pantries?
22. What are some phone numbers of various community help programs?

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1. Where do I apply for a job with the city?
2. How often do you post jobs?
3. How do I apply to be a Police Officer?
4. How do I apply to be a Firefighter?
5. If I don’t have the required certifications and licenses for firefighter, how can I obtain them?
6. What jobs do you have available for teenagers?
7. Once I have applied for a position, will I be contacted?
8. How do I get on the interview list?
9. How does the interview process work?
10. How do I file a claim against the City for property damage, personal injury, etc.?

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1. What types of waste do you accept?
2. What are the hours of operation?
3. How much does it cost?
4. Do you accept paint?
5. If they still have liquid in them, what do you do?
6. When is Clean Sweep?

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1. Does the city attorney's office provide legal advice to citizens?
2. What does the City Prosecutor do?
3. Will it cost me extra to talk to the City Prosecutor?
4. When the Police Department indicates that it will be referring the case to the City Prosecutor, what steps do I need to take to follow up on the problem and the possibility of charges being filed?
5. What if I hire an attorney to represent me?
6. Who can I talk to about a ticket?
7. Why can't I talk to the City Prosecutor about my ticket over the phone?

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1. How do I contact a city/county department?
2. Where can I find the answers to my frequently asked questions?

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1. Where is the Court located?
2. What are court hours?
3. Can I change my Court Date?
4. I just got this ticket yesterday, can I pay it now?
5. Do I have to see the Judge?
6. I've become aware that a warrant has been issued for my arrest. What do I need to do to resolve this?
7. I will be in today to pay my fines. Will you take the warrant off?
8. Can I talk to the Judge over the phone?
9. What does “first come, first serve” mean?
10. Can I clear someone else’s warrant?
11. Can I satisfy someone else’s traffic ticket(s)?
12. If I am unable to be in Municipal Court on the date designated, how do I request a continuance?
13. What happens on the Municipal Court date on which I am scheduled to appear?
14. What is an arraignment?
15. What happens if I plead "not guilty" at arraignment?
16. What happens at trial?
17. Can I change my trial date?
18. How do I subpoena witnesses to appear in Municipal Court on my behalf and is there any charge for getting the subpoenas issued?
19. What happens after the trial?
20. How do I obtain a copy of the police report?
21. What does the verdict mean?
22. If I plead "guilty" or am found "guilty" at trial, do I have to pay the fine and Municipal Court costs at that time?
23. When I was arrested, I was required to post a cash bond. How do I get my bond money back?

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1. What is Planning & Zoning?
2. What applications & permits does Planning & Zoning administer?
3. What is a subdivision or plat?
4. What is the subdivision process or platting?
5. How Do I combine, split, or adjust my property lines?
6. Does the city provide surveying services?
7. What is zoning?
8. What is rezoning?
9. How do I find my property’s zoning?
10. What does zoning determine?
11. How do I get a fence permit and what are the city’s rules for fences?
12. How do I get a pool permit and what are the city’s rules for pools?
13. How do I get a garage/shed/etc. permitted?
14. How do I get a sign permit?
15. What is a site plan?
16. What is the Zoning Board of Adjustment?
17. What is a variance or exception?
18. What is the Planning Commission?
19. What is the Downtown Review Board?

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1. When should I call 911?
2. How do I make a Police Report?
3. What happens after I file a written report about an incident?
4. Where can I get a copy of a police report taken in St. Joseph, Missouri?
5. I was the victim of a hit and run accident, how do I get follow-up information?
6. I received a ticket, where do I go to pay it?
7. What information should I exchange with the other driver if I am in an accident?
8. If an incident occurred in another city, can I still report it in St. Joseph?
9. Where can I get a restraining order…or an order of protection?
10. Where do I report an animal bite?
11. How can I get a police ride along?
12. How do I get my property returned?
13. How do I make a complaint or compliment an officer?
14. How do I become a St. Joseph Police Officer?
15. How do I get a uniform shoulder patch?
16. Who can I call about phone solicitors to see if they are credible?

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1. What do I do if my neighbor has a code violation?
2. What are the inspection and notification procedures?
3. What are the billing and abatement procedures?
4. What are your summons procedures?

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1. What type of bids are advertised and where?
2. What is a Bidder’s List?
3. How do get on the Bidder’s List?
4. What happens after I submit my Vendor Application?
5. How is the Bidder’s List Used?
6. What is a purchase order?
7. Can I review specifications?
8. What is an addendum?
9. What is a bid security?
10. Is bid security a set amount?
11. If bid security is required how should it be submitted?
12. Will my bid security be returned?
13. What is a bid opening?
14. Who do I contact if I have a question or complaint about Prevailing Wage?
15. What is a performance bond?
16. What happens if a vendor fails to perform?
17. What does it mean when a bid is rejected?
18. How do I get the results of a bid?
19. Can I review bids submitted by other vendors?

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1. What are the hours of operation for the Recycling Center?
2. What type of materials does the Recycling Center accept?
3. How to handle the recyclables.

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1. Rate Determination
2. How are the monthly sewer bills determined?
3. How can sewer bills be paid?
4. How will overdue accounts be handled?
5. How do I change, initiate or cancel my sewer service?
6. Can my due date be changed?

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1. You plowed the street two blocks away from me, whey didn’t you plow my street?
2. Why did you plow the snow to my curb where I park?
3. You plowed my driveway full of snow!
4. Why don’t you plow every time it snows like the state does?
5. I’ve lived here for 40 years and you’ve never plowed my street.
6. How can I get a salt barrel for my neighborhood?
7. Why did you tow my car?
8. My wife is pregnant and you haven’t salted my street yet, what if she needs an ambulance?

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1. Where can I purchase a culvert pipe to go across my driveway?
2. My street was resurfaced just 5 years ago. There is nothing wrong with it. Why are you closing it to put a Micro Seal on it?
3. My street looks like it needs to be resurfaced. How can I find out if it is on the list to be done?
4. My alley is full of ruts from the heavy rains. It needs to be graveled. Will the City furnish the gravel it needs?
5. During the storm last night, I had a limb blow down in my yard. I cut it up and placed it on the curb. Will the Street Division pick it up for me?
6. The curb and gutter in front of my house is full of leaves and grass clippings. I called the Street Division over a month ago. Why won’t they come out when I call and sweep the street?
7. My first question is how long is the street repair list? The second question is whom do I have to know to get my street fixed?
8. I need to have warning signs to slow down traffic for children. Will the City put them up?
9. I hit a hole on a railroad crossing. Is the Street Division responsible for patching it?
10. I understand the City has a curb and sidewalk program, but I don’t know whom to call to find out about it?
11. When I stop at an intersection with traffic signals, why don't I get a green light every time they change?
12. How do I report a malfunction of a traffic signal?
13. How do I get a permit to close a street, sidewalk, or get a dumpster?
14. In a 2 Hour Block Zone, if I park on one side of the street can I move my vehicle to the other side of the street and start my 2 hours over again?
15. If I receive a parking ticket and don't agree with it what can I do?
16. Who is responsible for cleaning dirty inlets?
17. What is your crew doing in our neighborhood?