Provo outlines data-driven overhaul of code enforcement: county-record matching, RFP for ad-scan technology and meth testing
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Summary
Zoning administrator Scott Johnson told council staff are matching county mailing records to city rental licenses, drafting an RFP for software to find online rental ads, restoring a cleanup line item, and working with police and county health for meth testing and strengthened pest-abatement rules.
Zoning Administrator Scott Johnson told the council that Provo is pursuing data-driven approaches to identify unlicensed rental properties and strengthen code enforcement while expanding community outreach.
Johnson said staff received a large county dataset and narrowed it to about 12,000 residential-use lines for review; staff have verified about 6,000 of those as licensed rentals and continue to audit the remainder. Once verification is complete, the city plans to mail a compliance letter to addresses that appear to be rented but lack a city license.
Johnson described technology options: an RFP for software that would scan online rental advertisements to detect likely unlicensed long-term rentals, and exploratory conversations with a company selling cell-phone–location data. The latter raised privacy concerns and limited utility for enforcement, he said, so the city will not rely on cell-location services for code enforcement but may use other data services for planning and economic-development purposes.
Johnson said staff seek a restored budget line to front costs for property cleanup (vacant-lot weed abatement, debris removal) that could be liened back to the property. He also said field staff will soon receive printers and that body cameras are on order.
On specific enforcement topics, Johnson said he is drafting a code amendment to strengthen pest/rodent infestation abatement authority so the city need not rely solely on county health actions. He also reported the city will work with Provo City Police and county public-health resources to enable meth testing and remediation requirements for dwellings where contamination is suspected; testing and abatement tools increase the city’s ability to close problem rental rooms or units.
Johnson said staff are preparing a public-education outreach program for neighborhoods and that a primary focus will be rental-dwelling licensing requirements. He asked council for patience as the city systems and RFP processes are finalized; councilors praised the data-driven approach.