HomeMy WebLinkAbout5D - Administrative Complaint Policy
o~ PRIO~
~o~ 4646 Dakota Street S.E.
U ;r:: Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714
t1'j
~INNESO'\:~ CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA #:
PREPARED BY:
AGENDA ITEM:
DISCUSSION:
ISSUES:
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
ALTERNATIVES:
MARCH 1, 2010
50
JANE KANSIER, BUILDING AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DIRECTOR
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A REPORT PROPOSING AN ADMINISTRATIVE
COMPLAINT POLICY
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to advise the City Council of the staff's intent to de-
velop an internal, administrative policy to manage situations in which the City is
drawn into civil disputes.
Current Circumstances
The City Code Enforcement Officer receives an average of 250 complaints each
year. Once we have received a complaint, most of our contact is with the owner
of the property on which the violation is located. At this point, we have very little
contact with the complainant, with the exception of a follow-up contact or two.
This system works fairly well, and provides access to residents and business
owners who have concerns about neighboring property.
In some instances, however, this system can be abused. What begins as a sim-
ple complaint escalates into a feud between two parties. Both parties use the
complaint process to antagonize each other, and City staff finds themselves in
the middle.
Conclusion
City staff, along with the City Attorney, plans to develop an administrative policy
we can use to manage these situations, which should be more appropriately
handled privately. It is not our intention to ignore code violations. What we plan
to do is develop a set of standards we can use to extricate ourselves from these
private disputes.
The City has limited resources, in both staffing and funding, to manage com-
plaints and code violations. The City has the right to choose how to best use
these resources. An administrative policy will establish standards staff can use
to determine when the process and the staff are no longer effective. As noted
above, we do not intend to ignore complaints. We will continue to take the ap-
propriate action when a legitimate violation exists. We may, however, choose to
limit the amount of follow-up in certain situations.
There is no immediate financial impact in establishing a policy. Such a policy will
allow us to utilize our resources more effectively.
No action is required.
motion and second to accept this report.
www.cityofpriorlake.com
952.4417.9800 / Fax 952.447.4245