Laserfiche WebLink
<br />J. <br /> <br />CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION <br />Topic Report: Use of Abatement for <br />Zoning/Building/Public Nuisance Violations <br />By: Sylvia Frolik, Asst. Com. Dev. Dir. <br /> <br /> <br />Background: <br /> <br />In August 2007, the City implemented a new abatement process that enables City Staff and its <br />contractors to enter a property and remedy code violations. The process has been working well. <br />However, Staff is encountering situations where, in the opinion of City Staff, the use of <br />abatement is not practical and additional administrative remedies are being proposed. Some <br />examples of situations where administrative versus abatement remedies are preferable include: <br /> <br />1. Completing unfinished buildings: siding, roofing, etc. (City Code requires exterior <br />completion 1 year from date of building permit). <br />2. Moving accessory structures to meet setbacks (pools, sheds). <br />3. Removing fences that do not meet setback requirements or are constructed of unapproved <br />materials. <br />4. Removing animals that violate animal regulations (too many dogs on a parcel, keeping <br />typical farm animals on less than 3 acres, barking dogs, dogs at large, etc.). <br />5. Installation of lawns, grass or ground cover (code requires establishment of yard 1 year <br />from date of certificate of occupancy). <br />6. Illegal home occupations. <br />7. Tracks and trails for motorized recreational equipment in residential neighborhoods <br /> <br />Staff and Council had a lengthy discussion on December 11, 2007 regarding situations that call <br />. for measures other than abatement. There wasn't a consensus at that time regarding the process <br />to be implemented in these types of cases. Also, there was a request to review some of these <br />more common code regulations and determine if they are current or need updating. Staff has <br />prepared a table of the more common situations that staff doesn't believe are adaptable to the <br />abatement program as a remedy. The table includes a brief summary of the current code <br />regulations, the enforcement procedure prior to abatement and administrative fines, and the <br />proposed enforcement procedure recommended since the implementation of abatement and <br />administrative fines. <br /> <br />Attachments: <br /> <br />a. City Council work session minutes dated December 11, 2007 <br />b. Table of Common Non-Abatable Violations <br />