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Police chief outlines education-first code-enforcement push and parking-ticketing changes
Summary
The police chief told the council he moved code enforcement under his office with a civilian manager, described an outreach-first approach (flyers, door-hangers) before citations, and said the city has added tools including towing and booting to enforce repeat offenders and address abandoned RVs.
The Police Chief reported to the council on recent changes to the city's code-enforcement and parking-enforcement approach, saying he reassigned code officers directly under his office, added a civilian manager to improve consistency, and has emphasized an education-first strategy for common violations.
"If we can get voluntary cooperation, education, reminders to people, and then focus a lot of our time on those repeat offenders," the chief said, "I think we could be a lot more effective." He described regular weekly meetings with code staff, more approachable warning materials (mailers and door hangers), and targeted enforcement when voluntary compliance fails.
The chief also described operational changes to the parking-ticket process and collections, telling councilors the finance department helped retool software and payment portals and that the city has used new tools such as booting vehicles for unpaid fines and contracting for abandoned-RV disposal.
Council members asked about angle parking rules, right-of-way definitions, and contractor behavior (including a recent near-miss in which a child struck the back of a trailer full of rebar). The chief said the city will continue both education and enforcement and is exploring ordinance updates to give staff more timely authority.
Attribution: Direct quotes and reporting come from the Police Chief's presentation and council Q&A at the Belgrade City Council workshop.
