Category: News & Events
Rachel Schwankl Selected for Fridley Housing & Redevelopment Authority
October 21, 2019 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.Rachel Schwankl, Real Estate Paralegal at Barna, Guzy & Steffen, was recently appointed to the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (“HRA”) in Fridley, MN. According to the City website, “In 1947, the Minnesota Legislature created the Municipal Housing and Redevelopment Act, which authorized cities to create Housing and Redevelopment Authorities (HRAs) charged with improving “substandard conditions” characterized by “dilapidation, obsolescence, overcrowding and faulty arrangement or design of buildings and improvements.”Fridley’s HRA was established in 1965 and today plays an active role in developing and redeveloping the City. HRA projects are designed to enlarge the tax base, create jobs, and create vital, attractive businesses in blighted or underdeveloped areas of the City. The HRA is empowered to carry out housing rehabilitation programs and redevelopment projects that create new housing opportunities. The HRA also makes use of State and Federal programs to provide housing rehabilitation assistance to those that qualify. Examples of State programs include the First Time Home Buyer Program, the Minnesota Fix-Up Fund, and the Home Energy Fund. Federal programs include the Community Development Block Grant Program and HUD’s HOME program. Housing and Redevelopment Authority Services: Business site selection assistance; Local tax structure and tax increment financing districts data and analysis; Guidance on available City programs and other programs for various types of projects;…
Read MoreEstate Planning Attorney Bobbi Hermanson-Albers Joins Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.
August 28, 2019 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.Barna, Guzy & Steffen LTD. announces the addition of a new associate to our firm. Bobbi Hermanson-Albers has joined the firm’s Estate Planning department. She will be working closely with estate planning attorney William H. Huefner practicing in the firm’s growing Wills/Estates & Probate/Tax Planning Law area serving existing clients and enhancing the firm’s ability to serve our community. We are happy to welcome Bobbi to BGS from her most recent position practicing in family law at a boutique law firm in Minneapolis. She has also previously worked in Minnesota’s 10th Judicial District Court (Stillwater, MN) as a Judicial Law clerk to the Honorable B. William Ekstrum. Bobbi graduated cum laude from Hamline University School of Law in 2014 ranked in the top 15 of her class. In addition to earning her Juris Doctor, she holds a Certificate in Advocacy and Problem Solving from Hamline University which uniquely qualifies her in direct to consumer law, assisting clients to navigate the legal system during challenges and changes in their lives. Bobbi is excited about the opportunity to join BGS as Wills/Estates attorney, “I look forward to working with Bill Huefner to identify practical solutions that best meet the unique, long-term planning needs of each of our BGS clients.” Get help with your legal questions!
Read MoreWhat Drivers and Employers Need to Know About the New MN Hands Free Law
July 26, 2019 | Scott M. LepakBefore we get started, the employment law attorneys at BGS would like to thank our clients (old and new) for the massive response and positive feedback on the MN Wage Theft Law blog. We have not been able to verify rumors that the legislature decided that employers didn’t have enough to do going into the last legislative session and did their best to remedy that concern. Come to think of it, we would like to thank the legislature for making sure we never run short of business.The next big thing for drivers and Minnesota employers that came about in the last legislative session was the hands free law. The hands free law comes into effect next month (August 1) and will affect drivers and many employers across Minnesota. Fortunately, this law presents a more straightforward issue for employers than the often murky wage theft law requirements. The hands free laws (Minn. Stat. §§ 169.011, subd. 94 and 169.475) aim to ensure roads are safe from technologically distracted drivers. Starting August 1, 2019, law enforcement will be pulling folks over for speaking on the phone, listening to music, podcasts, or the most recent bestseller, as well as watching videos or looking at pictures, games or software applications if these drivers have their phones in…
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