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Councilmember Backous asked if staff saw a spike in the number of complaints for the same <br />issue. <br />Code Enforcement Intern Lindahl stated she has seen that occur (retaliation complaints) but not <br />as much as she had expected. <br />Councilmember Backous stated that is why he brought forward this issue. A gentleman had a <br />camper parked on the proper surface but grass had grown through the Class V and he was cited <br />by another resident who was cited for a similar violation. Councilmember Backous asked if the <br />complaint should only be enforced if brought by a neighboring property owner. He stated his <br />concern is that property rights not be violated. <br />Police Chief Way advised that the complaint information is confidential and cannot be released <br />so for the most part, the resident does not know who called in the complaint. He stated a realtor <br />recently complained about a property next door to a property he had listed for sale. <br />Mayor Strommen stated she does not know how often a property is cited in retaliation. Another <br />question is what would be considered to be a surrounding property, and what would be <br />considered a violation that would impact enjoyment of your neighborhood, noting it could <br />become subjective. <br />Councilmember LeTourneau stated the current system seems to do the job and he thinks there <br />will always be issues with such processes. He stated that while he understands the concern <br />raised by Councilmember Backous, he is not sure that adding another layer would address the <br />issue. Councilmember LeTourneau indicated he would not want to violate the confidentiality of <br />the person calling in the complaint and suggested data continue to be gathered and it be <br />discussed in the future, if warranted. <br />Councilmember Riley agreed that it seems the current system works pretty well and he hopes <br />Code Enforcement is diligent and fair in its enforcement. <br />Councilmember Backous stated the Council needs to appreciate the stress it puts on residents to <br />receive a citation. He explained the case he mentioned happened to a person who was disabled, <br />noting that with the current system, anyone, even a non - resident, could call in a complaint that <br />results in putting a resident under stress. He supported taking the complaints more <br />carefully /selectively and not allowing a complaint from someone who has nothing to do with the <br />neighborhood. Councilmember Backous stated he understands the need for confidentiality but <br />thinks there is a better way to use more care. <br />Mayor Strommen noted there may be other examples where the complaint is legitimate and <br />stated it may actually be more stressful knowing that the complaint had to be from one of the <br />nearby neighbors. <br />Councilmember Backous stated empirically the data shows spikes when a citation is issued. <br />City Council Work Session / June 24, 2014 <br />Page 5 of 8 <br />