Proactive Volunteer
01-18-2005, 08:43 AM
Officials plan inner-city code crackdown
By Bryan Dean
The Oklahoman
Soiled mattresses, old couches and other junk line the curbs of Classen-10-Penn and dozens of other inner-city neighborhoods.
Grass and weeds are knee-deep in some yards. Houses with peeling paint and damaged roofs are common.
For those who maintain their homes, neighboring nuisance properties drag down property values, spoil the quality of life and invite criminals.
"It's depressing to see your neighborhood look like that," Classen-10-Penn resident Tiffany Dailey said. "When you drive home and there is a prostitute on the corner and a drug dealer on the street, those are the most frustrating things. A lot of times, there is a tie-in between the criminal activity and the rental homes that aren't maintained."
City officials hope a new code enforcement program will clean up inner-city streets and force property owners to change their ways.
Neighborhood Services Director Mike Randall said city code inspectors will start proactive enforcement this week. Until now, inspectors only cited violators after a complaint.
"Code violations are a constant thing," Randall said. "There are people who may clean it up or they may complain while we clean it up, but then they immediately junk things up again."
The idea of proactive enforcement came up in budget talks. Council members budgeted $115,000 to launch the program.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Willa Johnson said the complaint-based system wasn't working. Many people were reluctant to report violations.
"I think they are afraid of retribution," Johnson said. "They don't want to be known as the snitch in the neighborhood."
Complaints come to the neighborhood services department through the city's action line and are anonymous. But that doesn't stop property owners from looking for someone to blame.
"It always leaves the opportunity for someone to say, 'Well I know who turned me in,' whether they do or not," Randall said.
With proactive enforcement, only city inspectors working on the new program will be available for blame. Randall said his staffers can take nasty looks and dirty words -- especially if that means cleaner neighborhoods.
Inspectors will be assigned to 29 neighborhoods. Although the target areas are spread throughout the city, many are clustered in an area bordered by Interstate 44 on the west and north, Interstate 235 on the east and Interstate 40 on the south.
Inspectors will visit at least part of each neighborhood two to three times a week. Repeat violators will come to know inspectors quickly.
"I know for a fact that you will see cleaner neighborhoods," Randall said. "Over time, those recurrent violators, the habitual ones, some portion of them will get the message."
Those who don't will pay ever-increasing fines as the city cleans their properties and mows their yards. As the junk goes away, the neighborhoods will start to change, Ward 6 Councilwoman Ann Simank said.
"I expect to have citizens that are happier with where they live," Simank said. "I think our urban-area neighborhoods feel like they've waited a long time for some enforcement."
Those who have been hoping for more enforcement may come to see inspectors as more than faceless government workers, Ward 2 Councilman Sam Bowman said.
"I think what we are going to have is a neighborhood advocate," Bowman said.
Council members may decide to expand the program if it is successful. An expanded program could include more target areas or become citywide, depending on costs.
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I think this is a good start for the City to do. However, I have worked on inner city code enforcement issues since 1986. Until the City reviews and evaluates the entire proccess of code enforcement, new programs will have a limited effect.
We need a Task Force that will invite stakeholders to the table to review complaint and enforcement process on property maintenance and community appearance ordinances. This Task Force will need to include Neighborhood Services, the Zoning Department, Public Works and the Fire Department as all of these departments have property maintenance ordiances that they enforce.
The Task Force findings will then be submited with recommendations for changes, be it in the handling of complaints, how the ordinance is enforced or review the ordinance to see if it needs to be revised.
By Bryan Dean
The Oklahoman
Soiled mattresses, old couches and other junk line the curbs of Classen-10-Penn and dozens of other inner-city neighborhoods.
Grass and weeds are knee-deep in some yards. Houses with peeling paint and damaged roofs are common.
For those who maintain their homes, neighboring nuisance properties drag down property values, spoil the quality of life and invite criminals.
"It's depressing to see your neighborhood look like that," Classen-10-Penn resident Tiffany Dailey said. "When you drive home and there is a prostitute on the corner and a drug dealer on the street, those are the most frustrating things. A lot of times, there is a tie-in between the criminal activity and the rental homes that aren't maintained."
City officials hope a new code enforcement program will clean up inner-city streets and force property owners to change their ways.
Neighborhood Services Director Mike Randall said city code inspectors will start proactive enforcement this week. Until now, inspectors only cited violators after a complaint.
"Code violations are a constant thing," Randall said. "There are people who may clean it up or they may complain while we clean it up, but then they immediately junk things up again."
The idea of proactive enforcement came up in budget talks. Council members budgeted $115,000 to launch the program.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Willa Johnson said the complaint-based system wasn't working. Many people were reluctant to report violations.
"I think they are afraid of retribution," Johnson said. "They don't want to be known as the snitch in the neighborhood."
Complaints come to the neighborhood services department through the city's action line and are anonymous. But that doesn't stop property owners from looking for someone to blame.
"It always leaves the opportunity for someone to say, 'Well I know who turned me in,' whether they do or not," Randall said.
With proactive enforcement, only city inspectors working on the new program will be available for blame. Randall said his staffers can take nasty looks and dirty words -- especially if that means cleaner neighborhoods.
Inspectors will be assigned to 29 neighborhoods. Although the target areas are spread throughout the city, many are clustered in an area bordered by Interstate 44 on the west and north, Interstate 235 on the east and Interstate 40 on the south.
Inspectors will visit at least part of each neighborhood two to three times a week. Repeat violators will come to know inspectors quickly.
"I know for a fact that you will see cleaner neighborhoods," Randall said. "Over time, those recurrent violators, the habitual ones, some portion of them will get the message."
Those who don't will pay ever-increasing fines as the city cleans their properties and mows their yards. As the junk goes away, the neighborhoods will start to change, Ward 6 Councilwoman Ann Simank said.
"I expect to have citizens that are happier with where they live," Simank said. "I think our urban-area neighborhoods feel like they've waited a long time for some enforcement."
Those who have been hoping for more enforcement may come to see inspectors as more than faceless government workers, Ward 2 Councilman Sam Bowman said.
"I think what we are going to have is a neighborhood advocate," Bowman said.
Council members may decide to expand the program if it is successful. An expanded program could include more target areas or become citywide, depending on costs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think this is a good start for the City to do. However, I have worked on inner city code enforcement issues since 1986. Until the City reviews and evaluates the entire proccess of code enforcement, new programs will have a limited effect.
We need a Task Force that will invite stakeholders to the table to review complaint and enforcement process on property maintenance and community appearance ordinances. This Task Force will need to include Neighborhood Services, the Zoning Department, Public Works and the Fire Department as all of these departments have property maintenance ordiances that they enforce.
The Task Force findings will then be submited with recommendations for changes, be it in the handling of complaints, how the ordinance is enforced or review the ordinance to see if it needs to be revised.