Mount Vernon council creates Code Enforcement Department to centralize property maintenance and permitting

Mount Vernon moved Wednesday to create a formal Code Enforcement Department and to assign existing property‑maintenance, zoning enforcement and related inspection duties to that department. City leaders said the change is primarily administrative: it consolidates functions now scattered across safety‑service, the city inspector’s duties and other offices. The council adopted the ordinance after city staff told the committee the move will make budgeting and enforcement more efficient without immediately expanding personnel headcount. The safety‑service director said the city has long enforced codes that were not consistently applied because the work was thinly spread across positions; creating a department provides an identifiable manager and clearer annual budgeting for items such as delinquent mowings, backflow testing and licensing of waste haulers. Scott, the safety‑service director, told council the city inspector has been performing zoning enforcement by letter and that the ordinance will allow the city inspector to assign code duties within a formal department structure. “When a safety‑service director changes or when a new employee shows up, what has happened is responsibility gets piecemealed and it just doesn’t get done,” Scott said. Establishing the department, he added, makes enforcement and fee collection more consistent and traceable. Why it matters: staff said clearer organization will let the city collect fees it has not consistently charged, better budget for equipment and delinquent maintenance costs, and provide a single point of contact for residents with property‑maintenance concerns. Council action: The ordinance creating the Code Enforcement Department passed its third reading and was adopted by council. The ordinance also aligns certain inspection and permitting functions (for example, backflow prevention, grease traps and solid‑waste licensing) under the new department head. Staff said existing funds that support those functions will be consolidated into the department’s budget during the next budget cycle. Ending: City officials said the change is intended to improve administrative clarity and enforcement consistency rather than to immediately increase department size. Councilmembers suggested staff will return with budget details and job descriptions as part of the regular budget process.