Agenda - Council - 07/25/1995 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Council requested that I make notes of any concerns or comments that I have about code enforcement and the City Code. I do think that code enforcement is vital in a growing community such as Ramsey. We need to be proactive in our thinldng and prevent problems rather than trying to fix them. Once we get the current properties in compliance, it will be much easier to maintain compliance with our ordinances. The longer we put off enforcing the ordinances, the more difficult they will be to enforce. There are a couple of issues that frequently come up when we talk about the City Code. The City may want to look at requiring all residences to seed or sod their lawn within a limited time frame. here are a number of properties that still do not have lawns, more than a year after being bu/lt. ANother issue that comes up a lot is the number of vehicles allowed on a residential property. C4rrently, residents are allowed to have as many licensed vehicles as they want, with no regtrictions on where they can be parked, The Council might want to look at limiting how many vehicles can be stored outside and/or where vehicles can be parked. Recommendation: COuncil should continue to do code enforcement as it is being done now. While we are currently hearing from some people unwilling or unable to comply with existing codes, there are many more people with an expectation that the City will do their part to maintain quality residential and commercial neighborhoods. Ne most difficult part of code enforcement is getting started. It is already apparent that once word spreads that we are enforcing the ordinances, and that sooner or later the City will be out to their neighborhood, many residents do what they have to do before they get a letter from the City. I am already seeing people clean up their properties, mow the grass, and remove the extra vehicles before they are contacted by the City. Tile Council needs to decide what Ramsey should look like in the future and base their decision al~°ut Code Enforcement on that image. We have recently heard that many people moved to R~msey because of the lax enforcement of codes. My belief, however, is that most of the public mbved here for other reasons and nice, well-kept neighborhoods is one desire of a majority of the public. Council Action: No action is required. R~viewed by: COmmunity Development Intern City Administrator CC: 7/25/95 I I I I I I