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Code enforcement reports $447,000 billed since 2019, city moves to outsource billing
Summary
Code Enforcement Manager Daniel Garcia reported 871 notices/citations and 3,031 incidents over the past year, said $447,000 has been billed since 2019, and told council the city contracted DataTicket to improve collections and ease finance workload; council discussed adding an enforcement officer at midyear.
Daniel Garcia, the city27s code enforcement manager, delivered the annual update on enforcement activity and outcomes, telling council the program issued 871 notices or citations over the last year and responded to 3,031 incidents. Garcia said the city has billed about $447,000 in fines since 2019 but that collection rates historically lag and many amounts remain uncollected.
Garcia described priorities and partnership work: the division focuses on neighborhood blight, abandoned-vehicle abatement, graffiti removal and substandard housing enforcement; it works with Merced County, the sheriff27s office, public health and other agencies, and recently partnered with DataTicket for third-party billing to improve collections and reduce administrative burden.
Council members asked for a breakdown of billed vs. collected amounts; Garcia said finance handles collections and that the city will try to provide better collection metrics. One council member suggested pursuing midyear budget options to fund an additional code enforcement officer; the city manager proposed adding the position at midyear if it can be done without increasing the structural deficit.
Members of the public raised concerns about weekend yard sales operating as businesses and urged more weekend enforcement; Garcia said DataTicket will help with increased recovery and reduce administrative workload and that he had contacted the vendor for historical collection data to set expectations.
