Dearborn Heights council discusses hiring additional ordinance officers and tougher blight enforcement

A council study session on April 29 focused on plans to add three ordinance officers, where they would be assigned and what equipment and policy changes the city will need to support expanded enforcement.

The council member who requested the briefing said the city approved funding for three new ordinance positions but that only one candidate had an offer submitted this week; he proposed assigning one officer to the building department to focus on certificates of occupancy and checks for the primary resident exemption to ensure rental properties are correctly classified. "We've been wanting more ordinance enforcement for a long time," the council member said, urging residents to weigh in on priorities.

The discussion matters because council members said current enforcement capacity is strained: participants indicated the department has five full-time officers and one part-time employee now and that ticketing was up roughly 31 percent year-over-year. Ordinance Director Bill Dischroom told the council an employment offer was submitted this week and one officer recently moved into the building department, but he warned that while salaries are funded the department still needs additional laptops, phones, space and possibly another vehicle to support three hires. "There was an offer submitted. I had HR submit the offer of employment to one of the officers," Dischroom said.

Council members debated how to deploy the new officers. One council member asked that, if the city does hire three, at least one be designated to patrol the South End (roughly Southfield to Telegraph), noting a higher concentration of rental properties there and that a TIFA-funded officer already covers part of the west-of-Telegraph TIFA zone. Other members urged the council to divide responsibilities by district so enforcement is balanced across the city rather than framed as a North-South issue.

Members also raised operational questions. Staff and council discussed whether tablets used in the field should have direct cellular data, noting VPN and security requirements and that some existing tablets are nearing end of life; enabling always-on connectivity would increase costs but help officers sync permit and inspection information in the field. A council member pressed that officers assigned to the building department should focus on certificates of occupancy (COs) and PRE (primary resident exemption) checks rather than routine dog/grass complaints.

The session touched on related policy work: a council member said the planning commission will meet to consider short-term rental (Airbnb) rules and that council staff are drafting a revised nuisance/blight ordinance modeled on other municipalities that would allow quicker cleanup after notices are posted. That council member also referenced a "Living Cities" concept intended to help renters become homeowners and generate small-business grants; the figures cited during the discussion were described as program examples by the speaker, not as council-adopted commitments.

In public comment, resident Hassan Ayun asked how often officers inspect tall grass and other violations and questioned why the city would hire three more staff when the council had reported a 31 percent increase in tickets over last year. Council members replied that increased staffing should improve response time and coverage but acknowledged the need to track whether higher ticket totals reflect better enforcement or increased blight.

The council said it will schedule a fuller study session with more notice for staff, residents and council members to provide input and review a draft nuisance ordinance. The brief update concluded with a short recess so the regular council meeting could begin on time.