Title
Annual Report on Community Planning & Development Code Enforcement Program
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee
City Manager Recommendation:
Briefing only, no action requested
Report
Issue:
One of the City of Olympia’s police powers is the authority to regulate land use. Code enforcement staff are responsible for enforcing these regulations. The code enforcement staff provides an annual report related to the code enforcement activities taking place within the city limits and these enforcement efforts. The annual report provides an overview of the code enforcement function as well as an update of code enforcement activity between September 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015.
Staff Contact:
Todd Cunningham, Building Code Official, Community Planning & Development, 360.753.8486
Presenter(s):
Todd Cunningham, Building Code Official, Community Planning & Development
Chris Grabowski, Lead Code Enforcement Officer, Community Planning and Development
Kimberly Bretza, Code Enforcement Officer, Community Planning and Development
Background and Analysis:
Olympia Municipal Code Chapter 4.44 provides an outline for the code enforcement process. The Olympia Municipal Code covers a wide variety of health, safety, and land use regulations, including, but not limited to:
• International Property Maintenance Code
• Zoning and development regulations
• International Building Code
• Sign Code
• Abatement and monitoring of transient camps
• Graffiti abatement
• Trash and debris abatement
• Substandard housing
• Inoperable vehicles
• Exterior property maintenance
• Business and Land Use issues
• Critical Areas
• Animals
Investigation and enforcement pursuant to the requirements of the Olympia Municipal Code is an ongoing effort which provides for a healthier and safer environment for our visitors and citizens. The code enforcement team continually investigates, acts upon and brings closure to hundreds of cases each year taking responsibility for the City’s role of the requirement to enforce our municipal code.
In the period between September 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015 Olympia Code Enforcement Officers responded to hundreds of enforcement calls for service. These calls resulted in 560 cases involving thousands of inspections, hundreds of abatement notices and 23 civil infractions for violations of the Olympia Municipal Code and other health and safety codes and statutes. The majority of these cases result in property owners responding to the initial notice and addressing the violation.
In addition to daily code enforcement responsibilities, the City’s Lead Code Enforcement Officer was the lead in the development of an ordinance regulating City zoning requirements for Washington State licensed recreational marijuana establishments. The code enforcement program now includes continued evaluation and enforcement efforts as part of that program. As the State program evolves and is revised by recent legislative action with relation to medical marijuana, the impact on code enforcement will continue for the foreseeable future.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
There are a number of code enforcement efforts our citizens have shown an interest in following. We currently have 114 open cases out of 560 new cases since September 1, 2014. Citizens and Neighborhood groups have contacted the code enforcement team with complaints related to signage, vegetation, property maintenance, vehicles, substandard housing, and anima- related problems. There are also transient encampment, illegal sign and graffiti abatement efforts taking place throughout the city on a continual basis. Community groups and various citizens have demonstrated an interest in supporting code enforcement’s efforts, realizing that these efforts result in a safer and healthier environment for all.
Options:
This is an informational item only.
Financial Impact:
Code enforcement programs have been approved in the 2015 budget.