Wayne code officer reports steady building activity, land-use codification and costly property-violation case heading to court

Chip, the Town of Wayne code enforcement officer, presented an FY 2023-24 year-end report at the March 18 Select Board meeting, saying building and plumbing activity has leveled after a prior jump and that solar installations continue to grow.

Chip said the fee schedule he introduced in a prior year produced a surge in recorded activity but that volumes have been "pretty steady" over the last two fiscal years. He told the board the planning board has been working to incorporate recent state mandates on affordable housing and other provisions; that work has been folded into an ongoing effort to codify the town's land-use and related ordinances.

"They're taking our current ordinances, they're taking a history of ordinances, they're putting in a new format," Chip said, adding that the codification project has been funded in part by state money tied to the LD 2003 project and that the resulting product will be circulated for public review before returning to the planning board, select board and, eventually, a town meeting.

Chip also reported a significant enforcement matter he said would go to court next week. The case involves a property across from the strawberry farms with a long-running junk/vehicle issue; Chip said legal and related fees for the matter have reached about $45,000 and that the town will seek a court resolution in the coming months.

Board members and Chip discussed enforcement challenges more broadly. Chip said several enforcement matters are complex, often involving social and economic issues that complicate relocation and remedial action. He and the board noted limits on state assistance: police make initial visits and may withdraw, and human services involvement can be inconsistent. Chip asked the board for clear direction if it wanted more aggressive or different enforcement approaches, noting that legal remedies and relocation are costly and time-consuming.

Why it matters: ongoing codification of land-use ordinances will affect how the town regulates campgrounds, subdivisions and other land uses; the court-bound enforcement case highlights the fiscal and administrative cost of protracted code violations.

Board member Henry (who spoke during the meeting) praised Chip for his work on the code and ordinance project; select board members agreed to continue reviewing the draft ordinances and scheduled a public-input session for April 1 where codification and other ordinance changes will be discussed.

Ending: Chip asked board members to raise any concerns about enforcement priorities and to supply direction if they want staff to pursue more aggressive enforcement in particular cases.