The inspections will begin the week of April 9, 2012 (after the election) and will continue indefinitely until all properties
are evaluated. Our approach will be to target the most distressed areas first and gradually move into neighborhoods that appear
to be the best maintained. Inspectors will have their own sector (north and south of the Rock Rd.) of inspection. They will
each spend either two or three full days a week (depending on the alternating nature of the schedule) devoting their full
time to performing and processing exterior property maintenance inspections from a street level of view. The remaining time
will be used for scheduled housing inspections by appointment and for associated support activity.
At the six (6) month
point in the program we will evaluate resident response, compliance statistics, number of summonses for non-compliance, court
cases, resident requests for additional time or for assistance and the impact of the program on the larger community.
The
following list identifies some of the expected conditions we will find when performing the inspection evaluations of individual
properties:
• Junk, trash, debris, improper outside storage, etc.
• Derelict, unlicensed, inoperable and
junk vehicles, trailers, etc.
• Vehicles/trailers parked on unpaved surface.
• Trash cans in front of building
line, cans out on improper days, bulky trash, etc.
• Tall grass, weeds, uncultivated vegetation, dead trees, volunteer growth, etc.
• Exterior peeling
paint on trim, siding, foundations, windows, doors, guttering, downspouts, shutters, appurtenances, garages, accessory structures,
etc.
• Broken or missing exterior building elements inclusive of the previous list.
• Mildewed/extremely
dirty exterior building surfaces, etc.
• Broken windows, glass-lites, missing glazing/glass in doors, screens, etc
•
Inadequate roofing shingles, missing shingles, cupped shingles, etc.
• Illegal construction without a permit.
•
Improper or deteriorated fences, sheds, accessory structures, pools, decks, etc.
• Broken, heaved, heavily raveled
or otherwise deteriorated driveways, patios, flatwork, sidewalks, etc.
• Improper or inadequate electrical/gas installations.
•
Commercial exteriors to include all the above as well as , signs, parking lots, lighting, exterior elements, fences, trash
dumpsters/enclosures, etc.
This list should not be considered all inclusive but rather gives a perspective into the types of code violations typically
encountered.
When a deficient property is identified, the inspector will send a repair notice to the property owner of
record detailing the corrective action necessary, time to complete and a statement that non-compliance will result in the
issuance of a court summons. Should the owner acknowledge the deficiencies and requests additional time to make repairs, the
inspector will typically work with that individual to obtain compliance. No response within the allotted time or failure to
make continuous progress generally results in a court summons.
As this program gets underway I ask for your patience and
understanding. The mayor and board members will likely be asked by residents at some point for some helpful political intervention.
I would repeat my request that everyone refrain from offering to give that “help”, otherwise we risk compromising
the integrity of the entire program.
In addition, since the onset of our early spring, the inspectors will have to prioritize
tall grass notices over exterior inspections until residents and property owners stay current with the cutting. The grass
does not stop growing and we can’t let this problem get out of hand.