Midway City to budget for part-time zoning enforcement; council says police backup could assist

The Midway City Council directed staff on June 3 to budget for a part-time zoning-enforcement position to handle frontline complaints and proactive code compliance work, and asked staff to return with pricing for a contracted or part-time hire.

Councilmembers said current enforcement is reactive and is spread across multiple staffers, and that a dedicated part-time enforcement person would free up planning staff to focus on strategic projects. Councilmember Jeff suggested contracting with a zoning professional from nearby Heber; staff member Michael said he would reach out for pricing. Several councilmembers and staff said the police department could provide backup when enforcement encounters noncompliant or hostile property occupants.

Staff described current enforcement as largely complaint-driven; Melanie and Katie handle many frontline requests but lack bandwidth to be proactive. Councilmembers said a part-time enforcement contract could start at a few hours per week and be scaled up as needed. The city will include funding in the next budget cycle and return to council with cost estimates and a proposed scope of work for a contract or part-time hire.

Next steps: staff will obtain pricing for a part-time contract enforcement officer, report back to council and include a line item in the draft budget. Council asked staff to consider training, backup by police officers and whether a contractor could be cross-used with neighboring jurisdictions.