Jennings County planner Marie Shepherd outlines code-enforcement playbook for Scott County

Marie Shepherd, executive director of the Jennings County Area Plan Commission, told Scott County commissioners on Monday that a decade of consistent code enforcement, combined with court oversight and a case-management system, helped transform problem neighborhoods.

"We have probably 10 new houses going out there. They're selling for 2 to 300,000," Shepherd said, describing a shift from mobile homes to stick-built houses after enforcement and receivership actions. She credited organized complaint intake, photo documentation and monthly show-cause hearing dates for the change.

Shepherd described the office's process: inspectors take photos from public right-of-way, staff enter violations into a software system that auto-generates letters, and the board reviews show-cause matters before legal action if owners do not comply. "We run through them in about 3 hours" on a monthly court date that can hear "anywhere from 5 to 20 in a day," she said.

Commissioners pressed on resource implications. Shepherd said her five-person office manages a heavy caseload with a part-time complaints aide and uses a 'tickler' system to keep follow-ups from getting lost. Commissioners expressed interest in adopting parts of the Jennings model, especially its documentation standards and use of technology to build court-ready cases.

Next steps identified at the meeting included staff outreach to arrange a software demo and follow-up discussions about staffing and budget impacts.