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CODE ENFORCEMENT

The code enforcement profession balances the community’s quality of life by using professional skills and techniques tailored to the community's factors for sustainable living.

An effective Code Enforcement Division strives to prevent repeat offenses through education, effective communication, and enforcement. The divisions’ priority is to identify and abate violations of all applicable laws and code of ordinances related to:

General Nuisance
Property Maintenance Issues
Solid Waste
Hoarding Behaviors
Abandoned Properties and Neglect
Zoning Violations
Soil and Erosion
Building Regulations and Permitting Requirements

Officers and Inspectors methodically use professional skill sets with deliberate intent to serve the community better in the areas of:

Customer Service
- Complainant
  - Listening to the complainant's concerns
  - Gaining clarity of complaint
  - Respond promptly
- Violator
  - Communicate effectively to gain willful compliance.
  - Assess the ability to comply.
  - Correspond with positive solutions and explain the consequences.
- Co-Workers
  - Teamwork
  - Collaborate with other departments to better serve customers.
  - Recognize each team member's strengths and abilities to serve the community effectively.
Investigation
- Inspection
  - Validating the complaint/ identifying violation(s)
Communication and Compliance
- Written Communication
  - Notice of Violation
    - Layout is key
    - Keep to one page if possible.
    - Communicate the importance of compliance.
    - Request-response
    - Give timeframes
  - Emails
    - Keep Brief
    - Keep Professional
    - Maintain focus on the importance of compliance.
    - Copy and Blind Copy important personnel as needed
- Verbal Communication
  - In Person
    - Speak Clearly
    - Maintain eye contact
    - Respond with clarity
    - Stay on topic of Code Issues.
    - LISTEN
    - Respect
  - Phone Calls
    - Speak Clearly
    - Stay on topic
    - Be Brief
    - Remain, Professional,

A proactive code enforcement division recognizes the need for efficiency and time management. The division serves the community by meeting the need of ACCESSIBILITY:

To the public
- Approachable department
  - Convenient to public access
  - Customer Service Area
  - Education and Meeting Room
  - Coordinating Compliance with other departments to serve the customer better
To other departments
- Planning and Zoning
  - Land Use Violations
  - Zoning Conditions
  - Commercial Vehicle
  - Livestock Issues
  - Sign Ordinance
  - Revitalization Plan
  - Parking Ordinance
  - Historic Preservation Ordinance
- Building and Permitting
  - Stop Work Orders
  - Building and Housing Code Violations
- Fire Department Personnel
  - Fire Burns
  - Fire Safety Issues (Rental Properties)
- Environmental Health Department
  - Environmental Waste Issues
  - Septic Systems
  - Overcrowding
  - Bedbugs
  - Mosquito and Larva Solutions
- Engineering
  - Soil and Erosion
  - Illicit Discharge
  - Tree Ordinance
  - Public Property Assessments
    - The Right of Way
- Tax Assessors/Commissioners Office
  - Property Records
  - Ownership Issues
- Business and Licensing
  - Commercial Property Issues
  - Curb Stoning
  - Rehabilitation and Developing Businesses
- Legal, Judicial Systems
  - Court Cases
  - Inspection Warrant
  - Abatement Procedures

To the leadership and other community-based organizations
- Special Projects and Community Outreach Projects
  - Redevelopment
  - Rehabilitation
  - Revitalization Plan
  - Disaster Relief and Recovery Effort

A division with skilled personnel is dedicated and responsive to community improvement. Inspectors and officers work cooperatively with the public to ensure neighborhoods are educated and feel comfortable relying on code enforcement. The department proves to be a diversified group of subject matter experts who team up to make a difference. Educated and Experienced in:

Management and Public Education
- Professionals who provide experience in code enforcement as it relates to and benefits the efforts of community improvement, sustainable living, and economic development.
  - Needs for affordable housing and an improved standard of living.
- Ability to target subject matter to the needs of individual neighborhoods.
  - Code enforcement experts recognize not all customers have the same needs or are on the same educational level. Trained Officers, inspectors, and specialists provide communication and educational needs to any target audience.
Public Administration, Business, and Economic Development
- Provides the public with alternative solutions and effectively holds the subject of compliance as a must,
- Communicates effectively through written and verbal means, Recognizing the customer's ability to understand and adapt,
- Recognizes the potential for growth,
Criminal Justice, Police Techniques, and Court Procedures
- Provides the community with a sense of security and assurance of active code enforcement
- Officers recognize that customer concerns are important and handled effectively. Code enforcement officers provide security for the non-POST inspectors to effectively gain entrance to open and often vagrant-filled houses.
- Officers and Inspectors provide effective, clear testimony bearing facts of a case before the Judicial Powers.
- Officers and inspectors of an effective division are well-versed and knowledgeable of the City and County Code of Ordinances.

A team of experienced code enforcement professionals has a willingness to improve. Meeting the following needs will improve the division's performance.

Employee Training
- Increase professional training opportunities for officers and inspectors.
  - Verbal Judo
  - Code Enforcement (GACE)
  - Zoning (GAZA)
  - Property Maintenance (IPMC)
  - Community Development
  - Internal Training
    - Due Process
    - Communication
    - Techniques
    - Networking
      - Weekly partner ride-along (cross-training)
Public Education
- Improve community relationships with the department.
  - Target community/neighborhood meetings
    - Specific to code enforcement
- Media Access
  - Monthly educational topics
    - Focused on improving customers' knowledge of ordinances relating to sustaining a healthy, safe, and clean community.
- Flyers, information packages, and message boards
  - Equip officers and inspectors with handouts that educate and promote community pride.
  - Improve enforcement methods by adding educational instruments to explain compliance processes and requirements.
  - Target area informational notices and advisements
    - Division evaluates violations.
    - Sends education and advice literature.
    - Documents progress and implements abatement procedure.
Policy and Procedure update
- Improve policy and procedures for the division.
- Identify and chart the chain of command.
Department/division Professional Meetings
- Implement by-weekly department communication meetings.
  - Coordinate with co-workers to discuss cases presenting difficulty.
  - Update and inform Court presentations.
  - Develop strategic plans to have uniform code enforcement policies and procedures.
Improve Monthly Reports
- Implement data relative to compliance activities.
- Report community involvement activities
- Implement quarterly summarized reports.
  - Collective information
    - Open and closed case stats
    - Willful compliance stats
    - Court action cases
    - Chart violations
    - Data by jurisdiction
Improve and provide adequate equipment.
- Vehicles
  - Replace those with high miles and high maintenance issues.
  - Adequately equipped.
    - Safety lights on all vehicles
    - Improved radio communications
- Cameras
- Flashlights
- Phones and IPADS
- Update computer programs

For code enforcement, one of the most important skill sets acquired through employee training opportunities is customer service. This skill set should be performed professionally and efficiently every day. Code enforcement professionals can strategically apply their skill sets with deliberate intent to serve the community better in all areas of Customer Service. Effective customer service provided to the three most valuable players in the code enforcement field will only improve a community's attitude.

As a team-oriented staff, each member acknowledges, “Together, Everyone Achieves More.” As Teammates, they recognize each other’s strengths and abilities. Most, if not all, tasks can be achieved successfully when the team applies a more uniform approach.

Complainants are treated as concerned citizens, and a professional staff serves citizens effectively by listening to their concerns, gaining clarity on the issues, and responding in a strategic effort to educate the citizens on how the division will proceed by assessing the situation and validating the need for action to be taken promptly and professionally. Most importantly, it is important to communicate effectively with the responsible party. Code enforcement professionals understand and practice customer service strategies to proactively engage customers who may or may not understand that they have violated an ordinance that negatively impacts community values. It is a priority of each team member to communicate with such efficiency as to gain willful compliance by assessing the customers’ ability to comply and correspond with positive solutions while being direct and confirming consequences for non-compliance.

Those who take the Enforcement Techniques class receive this from me. I wanted to share. It is my hope it helps in some professional and personal way to grow your already super code enforcement department.