HomeMy WebLinkAbout5C - Report of 2009 Code Enforcement Activity
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t ~ ~ 4646 Dakota Street S.E.
U ~f:; Prio' Lake, MN 55372-1714
~INNESO~~ CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA #:
PREPARED BY:
AGENDA ITEM:
DISCUSSION:
FEBRUARY 1, 2010
7C
JESSE CORROW, CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A REPORT ON THE 2009 CODE ENFORCEMENT
ACTIVITY
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide the City Council with information regarding
complaints, code violations, and the code enforcement activity for the year 2009.
Historv
In July of 2007, The City of Prior Lake hired its first full time Code Enforcement
Officer and has since implemented a proactive code enforcement program. The
main goal of the program is to enhance the health, safety, welfare and aesthetics
of the city. We continue to maximize the appearance of residential and
commercial properties by effectively enforcing the standards and requirements of
the City Code. This has been achieved by both a proactive and a complaint driven
approach.
A resident can contact the Code Enforcement Officer with a question or concern
and a site visit will be made. If a violation is confirmed at the time of inspection,
the property owner will be notified and given a deadline to correct the Code
violation. When it becomes necessary, a misdemeanor citation may be issued to a
property owner for not achieving compliance within a reasonable amount of time.
A citation requires a property owner to appear at Scott County District Court. This
typically results in a fine and confirmation that the violation has been corrected.
Finally, where there is a particularly egregious violation or situation, the City
Attorney may ask the Council to authorize a civil action against the property owner
for injunctive relief and the cost of enforcement.
Another method of enforcement is educating the public of the city ordinances.
There are regular contributions in the City's newspaper, the Wavelength,
reminding residents of seasonal or weather related ordinances. Also, the city's
website lists several common code violations and directs viewers to the document
center where the entire City Code can be accessed.
In 2009, the City Council adopted the Property Maintenance Ordinance (Chapter
609 of the City Code). The purpose of this ordinance is to establish standards that
define the obligations of property owners to maintain the condition of their property,
dwellings and structures on the property and personal property located on the
property. The City Council believed property and structures that are not maintained
are harmful to the general welfare of the residents in the area and are not conducive
to the City's goals as set out in its 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan.
www.cityofpriorlake.com
Phone95~A47{9800 / Fax 952.447.4245
Current Circumstances
This report consists of a year-end summary of the total number of complaints
received and code violations identified in order to provide the Council with insight
that may be useful in evaluating current resident concerns and future regulatory
decisions. A great majority of City residents have pride in their neighborhoods
and community. They feel an obligation to maintain a neat appearance on their
respective properties, as well as a concern, that adjoining properties do the same.
The City of Prior Lake has documented two hundred forty-six (246) complaints in
2009 which is nearly the same amount when compared to the two hundred and
fifty (250) complaints in 2008. Complaints regarding Overgrown Grass And
Weeds again topped the list of confirmed code violations with forty-one (41). The
Unpermitted Display of Signage was second in line with a total of thirty-six (36),
followed by twenty-eight (28) violations for the Outdoor Storage of Junk. Other
violations are as follows, Inoperable and Unregistered Vehicles (25), Vehicles
Parked in the Yard Area (23), Permit Violations (19), Right Of Way Violations (18),
Public Nuisances (17), and Zoning District Violations (14). There were nine (9)
code violations directly attributable to the recently adopted Property Maintenance
Ordinance. Before the adoption .of the ordinance the situations would not have
been Code violations and the City would not have been able to address the
situations. It should also be noted that there were only two (2) reports of
Unsecured Vacant Buildings; this is a significant improvement from the nine (9)
instances that were reported in 2008.
The attached Exhibit A breaks down the reported complaints into categories from
most to least. Exhibit B is a year to year comparison of complaints from 2007 to
2009.
ISSUES:
As of the date of this report, two hundred twenty-eight (228) complaint cases have
been closed. Complaint files are closed either because the violation has been
corrected or the Code Enforcement Officer determined there was no violation.
The remaining eighteen (18) cases are pending active investigations and/or
Conditional Use Permits. Several of the pending cases will not be concluded until
spring.
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
There is no financial impact as a result of this report.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council has two alternatives:
1. Accept the code enforcement year end report as part of the consent agenda.
2. Provide the staff with additional direction.
RECOMMENDED A motion and second to accept the year-end code enforcement report as part of
:~)11:~~: 7e consent agenda is required.
i~ dtf---
Frank 0 es, (~ity Manager
t'
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EXHIBIT A
City of Prior Lake
Code Complaint & Violation Statistics Report
I Total Reported Ordinance Violations for 2009:
I
I a) Overgrown Grass & Weeds
b) Si~e (permit, placement, duration)
c) Storage of Junk (outdoor)
d) Parking Junk Vehicles (outdoor)
e) Vehicle Parked in Yard (auto's, recreational)
f) Permit Violations (building, setback, grading)
.Jl) Right Of Way (blocking street & sidewalk)
h) Public Nuisance (erosion control, public welfare, snow)
I i) Zoning Use Violation (home occupation, storage, C.U.P.)
I j) Property Maintenance (siding, firewood, brush, etc.)
I k) Disposal of Garbage & Refuse (outdoor)
II) Animal Control (barking, running, waste)
246
41
36
28
25
23
19
18
17
14
9
9
7
100%
16.7%
14.6%
11.4%
10.2%
9.3%
7.7%
7.3%
6.9%
5.7%
3.7%
3.7%
2.8%
The City received a total of two hundred forty-six (246) complaints in the year 2009. This
amounts to a one and a half percent (1.5%) complaint activity decrease when compared
with two hundred fifty (250) total complaints in 2008. Of the one two hundred forty-six (246)
complaints, seven (7) violations were referred to the Joint Scott Prosecution Attorney for
court action because of irresponsive action.
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