Code Enforcement spots to stay empty

As it copes with a fiscal crisis made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Council on April 14 decided to leave empty 24 positions, saving nearly $1.5 million. Some of the positions were already unfilled, others meant employees would be laid off.

Among the positions specified were two Code Enforcement Officers, who are part of the Fire Department.

The Fire and Police Departments made cuts to meet the lowered rate of the special parcel tax passed by voters to fund those departments. The Council earlier lowered the tax rate, and the budget cuts will meet that lower revenue amount, supplemented by a General Fund account for public safety.

With only two Code Enforcement Officer positions, the layoffs effectively suspends that function.

However, during the layoff process with the employee union, there were conflicting understandings of whether the Council intended to layoff the personnel but leave the positions intact, or to eliminate the positions completely, according to the staff report by City Manager Anna Linn.

In the staff report, Linn notes that eliminating the positions would do away with Code Enforcement activities, as well, as the city would not have anyone assigned to their functions. This includes ensuring the city’s rules and regulations are followed and issuing citations and administrative fines when they are not.

Councilmember Bill Smith said the city needed Code Enforcement, but said the program in its current form was not doing a good enough job.

“We do need it because our town’s beginning to go back to 15 years ago in what it looks like,” he said.

Without dedicated Code Enforcement Officers, a position which requires specialized training, it is unclear that any other department or personnel can take over the enforcement functions.

“We don’t have the personnel right now in other departments,” Mayor Chuck McGuire said, adding “I think our Code Enforcement Officers are rocking it.”

Fire Chief Jeremy Kosick said the cuts to the Code Enforcement function were necessary in order to bridge the budget gap for the department, with expenses falling in line with the reduced revenues from the parcel tax rate reduction. The move was intended to get the department through the end of the fiscal year on June 30, in the hopes that one or both of the positions could be filled in the next fiscal year.

Given that the Fire Department does not have the money available, Councilmember Ron Smith moved to abolish the Code Enforcement positions, with Councilmember Donald Parris seconding it.

The vote was 3-2 against abolishing the positions, with only Ron Smith and Parris voting for it.

agatlin@avpress.com