Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Compliance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Garland to launch new code-compliance portal and civil citation process Sept. 1, staff says
Summary
Brian Morris, Garland's director of code compliance, previewed a new Salesforce reporting portal and said the city will begin issuing civil citations mapped to a hearing officer process with enforcement active starting Sept. 1; staff emphasized an education period and correction window before fines.
Brian Morris, director of code compliance for the City of Garland, told the All Abilities Committee the department is rolling out a Salesforce-based portal to improve reporting, routing and two-way communication with residents.
"So September 1, that goes into effect," Morris said when describing the timing for the civil citation program. Morris said the portal includes a QR code residents can use to report tall grass, trash, unlicensed business activity and other common violations; reports are routed to the inspector assigned to that geographic area and residents can attach photos and track progress.
Morris described a roughly 70-day education period to prepare the community before enforcement goes live. He explained the city will generally use civil citations (handled by a hearing officer) rather than criminal citations to improve efficiency: "the civil citation process, instead of a judge, it goes to a hearing officer who can handle many, many cases at per hearing." The department will typically issue a compliance letter with a seven-day window for most routine violations and longer windows (up to 30 days) for structural or major issues.
On the program's correction policy, staff said there is a built-in leniency for residents who correct violations before the hearing: "So anytime within 1 year, you basically have a free violation per year," Morris said, explaining that if a violation is corrected by the hearing date the case may be voided for first-time incidents. Repeat offenders face escalated follow-up and potential fines.
Staff asked residents to report issues using the new portal and said that while eAssist remains available, the new portal is tailored to code compliance and will allow a warmer handoff to other departments (marshals, police, public works) where appropriate.
Morris noted the program is meant to prioritize compliance and neighborhood quality of life rather than revenue collection and said the department will continue to adjust timelines and communications based on resident feedback.
