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Chickasaw council pushes for new environmental inspectors and eyes stronger code enforcement powers for police
Summary
Councilmembers reported poor responsiveness from the environmental department and asked Civil Service to create Chief Inspector, Deputy Inspector and Code Inspector positions; council also discussed using police to issue citations for blight and clarified the police average over 600 calls per month.
Councilmembers Kathy Couey and Ken Sterrett told the Chickasaw City Council on Jan. 22 that residents have reported environmental issues with limited response from the environmental department. Mayor Tyran Colvin asked Civil Service to create three positions — Chief Inspector, Deputy Inspector and Code Inspector — to strengthen enforcement and training.
Councilmembers noted training deficiencies among staff even though they described some employees as capable; Sterrett offered to assist in drafting a stronger vacant-building ordinance. Separately, Councilmember Sterrett questioned a reported police call-volume figure and was corrected that the department averages more than 600 calls per month, not 130. Council discussed whether officers could issue MOT tickets for blight and code violations during day shifts and reiterated training as an outstanding need.
Next steps: Civil Service to review staffing requests and council to pursue ordinance revisions and training improvements for enforcement personnel.
