City staff reviewed the city's property-maintenance enforcement process and recommended the commission retain the current, officer-discretion approach while the city completes adoption of the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC).

Steve Robbins, assistant director of field services, said Lee's Summit currently enforces the 2018 IPMC and is working to adopt the 2024 edition "sometime here in the next month, couple, 3 or 4 months for this year." Robbins described "protective treatment" in the code as exterior surfaces being maintained and protected from the elements by painting or other coverings. He said most peer cities researched use officer discretion; Lenexa, Kan., uses a 25% threshold for a side or element to trigger a violation.

Jessica Asher, neighborhood services manager, explained officers use judgment on whether a small chip requires a conversation or a notice for more extensive peeling or rotted siding. "It may just have be a conversation... but we're definitely gonna cite the one with the peeling siding," she said.

Deputy (interim) director Amy Nasiv said staff train on a "holistic approach" and consider resident circumstances such as age or disability when assessing remedies. Commissioners sought a fair, consistent approach; staff suggested developing operational guidelines that would apply the existing code with documented decision criteria while preserving flexibility for extenuating circumstances.

On commercial enforcement, staff said landscape and trash issues are the most common complaints, and difficulties arise when property owners are out of state and managers must consult owners before repairs. Typical initial timelines for compliance contact are 10 to 14 business days; larger work may take several months depending on contractors and weather.

Staff said the city files liens only for certain abatements (grass cutting, removal of junk/debris, and some boarded-up properties) and that using court probation has been rare (staff cited roughly two cases in the last five years). The commission asked staff to consider whether publishing operational guidance would increase public confidence that enforcement is equitable; staff said they would explore options but did not propose a code change at this meeting.

No formal vote was taken; staff's recommendation was to maintain the current enforcement process and report back with any proposed operational guidance.