Agenda - Council - 07/10/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Dehen stated there should be discussion about the funding and whether the Council has interest in the Excessive Consumption of Services Ordinance. Councilmember Strommen commented the Council seems to be on board with the concept of this type of program; however, on behalf of the Finance Committee they will need to explore funding. She suggested staff provide further information with an estimate of a reasonable budget based on prior numbers. Mayor Gamec indicated in the past the cost to implement this type of program was estimated at $75,000. Councilmember Dehen commented the code enforcement officer would likely be an entry level position. He suggested the possibility of shifting staffing resources to utilize building personnel that is not currently doing inspections due to the construction slow down. Ass't Community Development Dir /HRA Executive Dir. Frolik advised a key element would be the continuity of having a code enforcement technician. Interim City Administrator Nelson indicated staff feels having someone specifically trained in the area of code enforcement has the skill set to deal with code violation issues. She requested direction as to whether Council is interested in proceeding with both programs. Consensus of the Council was to direct staff to provide further information regarding options to implement an administrative hearing process and a city- initiated abatement program. Councilmember Dehen stated the ability to prosecute by citation would be an important option to leave open to address particular problem cases. Mayor Gamec commented it may be beneficial to include this for instances involving hazardous materials that affect health and welfare, or for repeated offenses. City Attorney Goodrich indicated staff will look into including this in the options presented to Council. 3) Administrative Fines for Minor Traffic Violations Police Chief Way stated in considering the possibility of administrative fees for minor traffic violations there are a couple of things to look at: what the City would try to gain from that, and whether it is legal. It is dependant on who you talk to as to whether it is considered legal. He has paperwork from a couple of sources that have indicated it is not legal at this point. Legislation has been introduced and is currently being debated in the legislature to formally allow cities to utilize administrative fines under state statute for specific traffic violations. This legislation is currently in committee. Mr. Way indicated there are only a couple of cities that use this process; one is Columbia Heights. If Council were to determine to proceed with this for the purpose of making revenue, it will not be a money maker. In 2005 Columbia Heights took in City Council Work Session / May 1, 2007 Page 8 of 16