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owners want to talk to the City Council, that should happen after the first citation, so there can be <br />a discussion about it. She noted a possible solution would be to have a City Council work session. <br /> <br />Councilmember Heineman stated he would support bringing the issue to the City Council after <br />steps 2 and 3 have been attempted. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell stated property owners and residents are customers, and when they are <br />upset and angry, they should all be treated the same. She added it is important to inform them and <br />help them a little bit. She noted that would be better public relations. <br /> <br />Senior Planner McGuire Brigl stated property owners are customers of City Staff, and they can <br />sometimes be difficult, but complainants are also customers. She added she does not want her <br />staff to be yelled at and threatened, and no department wants its staff to be subject to that kind of <br />language. She added Zoning Code Enforcement Officer Raines is great at her job and should not <br />have to quit because she is mistreated every day by property owners and residents. She noted the <br />City Council has provided feedback on this issue in the past. She stressed the importance of <br />ensuring a safe workplace that is free from verbal abuse. <br /> <br />Councilmember Heineman stated City Staff do not need to take verbal abuse, but they cannot skip <br />steps in the process that are being afforded to other people. He stressed the importance of <br />following the process. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell stated a letter could be sent, with helpful information, and what they do <br />with it is on them. <br /> <br />Councilmember Riley stated he agrees the system should work if City Staff and the City Council <br />follow the process. He added the informational letter could include steps that people can take to <br />resolve the citation. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell agreed, stating property owners will have less to complain about if you <br />give them options and work with them. She added it would help on both sides to move things <br />forward but still be consistent. <br /> <br />Senior Planner McGuire Brigl stated City Staff are seeking support from the City Council so cases <br />do not escalate. She added that has become the culture in Code Enforcement, that if you disagree <br />with an officer, you will get your way. She noted some property owners are trying to do things <br />the right way, and they are penalized, so they come into compliance. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht stated there are 3 issues that have led to this discussion. He added the first <br />issue is that the City Council has overridden City Staff’s decision on numerous occasions. He <br />noted Councilmembers are saying that City Staff should follow the process, but this issue needs to <br />be resolved. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht stated the second issue is that citation issues were moved to the Consent <br />Agenda and are not specifically addressed at regular meetings. He added these types of issues <br />should not be on the Consent Agenda. <br />City Council Work Session / August 24, 2021 <br />Page 14 of 19 <br /> <br />