Council reviews draft property-maintenance code and plans for a shared enforcement position

Village staff presented a draft property-maintenance code amendment and told the council enforcement capacity is limited. "We don't have the workforce to enforce this, so we will be adding, hopefully, a new employee to do that," a staff member said, describing a proposed position split half for property maintenance and half for zoning enforcement.

Council members pushed for a clear timeline, with one member saying the job description will be adapted in May and, if approved, hiring could occur in June. Members discussed beginning enforcement as complaint-driven while emphasizing education and resident resources, such as a tool-lending center for maintenance assistance.

Councilors and staff stressed prioritizing property-maintenance duties and driving time in neighborhoods to address concerns raised by residents. Several members said they wanted the new position to focus primarily on property-maintenance work at first, with zoning duties increasing as the person becomes trained.

Next steps: staff will circulate the draft code to council, prepare a job description in May and plan outreach and education materials coincident with any enforcement start.