Council seeks stronger code enforcement, asks manager to add full-time code officer funded by dedicated by‑rider

After extended public comment and several agenda items, the Clifton Municipal Council took up construction-code enforcement and building-department staffing on Aug. 19, directing the city manager to add a full-time code enforcement officer to target resident complaints and public-safety issues.

Council members said long-standing complaints — sidewalks, demolition sites, property maintenance and unresolved construction issues — required a dedicated enforcement presence. The city manager said the proposed position would focus on resident complaints routed through the permitting and code office and would be funded through a dedicated budget by‑rider tied to building-fee revenue, rather than the general fund.

Council members asked about the city’s table of organization and whether it allowed the manager to hire the requested position; administration said funding from the dedicated by‑rider was available and that the table of organization could be updated so the manager could proceed to fill the vacancy. Several councilors asked for a timeline and asked the manager to ensure the building department’s staffing and enforcement practices were standardized across inspectors and subcode officials.

Outcome: council directed the city manager to move forward with adding a full-time code-enforcement officer funded by the dedicated by‑rider (building fee revenue), and to align the table of organization and job classification to permit the hire. No vote was recorded to deny or block the hire; council treated the matter as an operational direction to administration.

What’s next: city manager to confirm table-of-organization changes if needed, and to begin recruitment for the dedicated code enforcement position; staff to report back on enforcement protocol and staffing levels.