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Council authorizes third Community Preservation Officer to boost enforcement capacity
Summary
After reviewing an operational and fiscal assessment, council approved adding a third Community Preservation Officer (CPO) to increase proactive code enforcement; estimated full-year cost is $186,400 (including vehicle), with partial-year costs borne in FY26'7 and funding recommended from General Fund contingency and Measure E balances.
The council voted to add one additional Community Preservation Officer (CPO), increasing the authorized roster from two to three to improve responsiveness to code violations and increase proactive inspections.
Finance Director Kyle Johnson presented staff's operational review and fiscal assessment: the CPO division handled roughly 1,425 calls between two officers over the prior 12 months, and adding a third officer would increase capacity for follow-up, inspections and community education. The fully-burdened cost for the new position, including a vehicle purchase, was estimated at about $186,400.
Council discussed funding and long-term liability concerns tied to personnel costs. Staff recommended using the General Fund contingency for FY26'7 with offsetting transfers from Measure E in future budgets; the mayor encouraged reuse of an existing fleet vehicle if feasible to reduce one-time costs. Council directed staff to prioritize reuse of a city vehicle before authorizing a supplemental fleet appropriation.
Council members who supported the addition said more staff would accelerate case resolution and reduce repeat problems; one member voiced caution about long-term pension impacts but voted to proceed. The council approved the position and the funding approach.
