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Craig staff report: code enforcement moved to community development as staff seeks voluntary compliance
Summary
Public works and community development staff told council about the code-enforcement transition, outreach to about 80 vacant-property owners for fire-risk mitigation, and case-management statistics for the first 67 days under the new code coordinator, Hope Hanson.
Public Works Director Danny Paul and code compliance coordinator Hope Hanson updated the council on the city's move of municipal code enforcement from public safety to community development and described efforts to prioritize voluntary compliance and safety ahead of court actions.
Danny Paul said the transition has required training and process adjustments. He told the council that the coordinator, Hope Hanson, has been working in the role for about 67 days: "Hope has been doing all this work essentially on her own," Paul said, and he characterized the role as a work in progress that requires compassion and relationship-building to achieve compliance.
Hanson described outreach and casework strategies. She said she has focused on collaborating with local partners and making personal contact where possible: "I have actually made a point to pretty routinely attend the care collaborative meetings that happen every month," Hanson said, explaining that those meetings help her coordinate resources for residents who have trouble maintaining properties. Hanson and staff reported that in the 67 days she opened and managed 83 open cases (38 in May; 45 in June) and closed 66 cases, and that the average time from initial notice to compliance is about 15 days.
Paul and Hanson highlighted proactive outreach to roughly 80 vacant-property owners to address weed and brush issues tied to drought and fire danger. Paul said that outreach produced positive responses from many owners and reduced nearby residents' safety concerns. The council and staff discussed common enforcement challenges: locating out-of-area property owners, the limits of certified-mail service, fee-collection difficulties and the administrative-citation schedule (first administrative citation $150; second $250; third up to $300 before summoning to court).
Staff said abatements are possible (city may abate on the 10th day after the first administrative citation or the 14th day if mailed) but that abatements incur staff time and collection challenges. Paul noted the city will pursue a full overhaul of Title 8 of the municipal code this winter to address systemic process issues and improve enforcement clarity.
Council members expressed a desire for consistent enforcement of landscaping and commercial-property maintenance and encouraged continued outreach, particularly focused on major thoroughfares and commercial parcels. Staff said they will refine priorities to balance case volume with available staffing.
The council did not take formal action on code changes at the July 14 meeting; staff will return with proposed code amendments and implementation steps.
