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Resident presses council on enforcement of high-grass and trailer ordinances; mayor details reporting channels
Summary
A longtime resident urged stronger enforcement of the city’s high-grass and tractor-trailer ordinances; the mayor and city officials explained staffing limits, new phone routing and the Chester City Connect app for reporting problems.
A Chester resident raised enforcement concerns at the Aug. 27 City Council meeting, urging officials to enforce a high-grass ordinance and a separate restriction on tractor-trailer parking. The mayor and staff responded with an explanation of enforcement limits and new reporting channels.
Harry Crawford, identified in public comment, asked why the city passes ordinances if the rules are not enforced, citing a high-grass ordinance he said sets a 6-inch maximum and a longstanding tractor-trailer parking rule. He said the conditions persist and expressed concern that police and inspection staff do not patrol his neighborhood regularly.
Mayor Ruth and other officials acknowledged the ordinances and said enforcement rests primarily with the License & Inspection department and the police. Ruth said the city lacks sufficient enforcement personnel to permanently eliminate every violation, pointing to a long-term change in housing patterns (the mayor said roughly 70 percent of Chester residents are renters) and a rise in absentee landlords and abandoned properties that increase complaints about high grass and weeds.
Ruth said the city does pursue violations when they are reported and cited recent successful enforcement in specific problem areas, but said complaints can outpace available staff. She also described steps intended to help residents report problems: a single city phone number, (610) 447-7700, which routes callers through a new menu system to departments, and the Chester City Connect mobile app that allows residents to report issues. The mayor also urged residents to call 911 for emergencies and use the city number for nonemergency issues.
The mayor said the police department and L&I do write violations and that the challenge is staffing and the “whack-a-mole” nature of some enforcement issues. Councilors and the mayor discussed workforce recruitment and community engagement as longer-term ways to increase local staffing for code enforcement and policing.
No new enforcement rules or funding were proposed during the meeting; the exchange was recorded as public comment followed by a staff response.
