Councilmembers discussed moving Oak Harbor’s code compliance program from a largely reactive posture toward a more proactive approach during the city administrator’s monthly report on Nov. 25.

Councilmember Stuckey asked how the city plans to shift from reactive enforcement to proactive work. City Administrator Sabrina Combs said the budget includes approval for a full‑time code‑compliance position, that the current employee had provided retirement notice, and that staff are developing a job description and role that will emphasize proactive activities such as reviewing code language for clarity, coordinating with police and public works, and addressing issues encountered while officers are in the field. Combs said, “...we did, in the budget, work towards getting a full time position, and that position, was approved.”

Councilmembers discussed what a proactive approach means on the ground — ranging from improved code interpretation and streamlined enforcement steps to more field presence identifying issues during other staff activity. Councilmember Wiesner suggested prioritizing code clarification and better interdepartmental tools so enforcement is consistent and less subject to ad‑hoc interpretation.

Next steps: staff will develop the position description and work with the incoming director and legal staff to define proactive duties and enforcement steps, and will return updates to council as recruitment proceeds.