Sean C. Morgan
The City of Sweet Home’s code enforcement office is preparing for its annual walk through inspection of a neighborhood.
This year, code enforcement will look at properties north of the railroad track along 11th, 12th and 13th avenues and Poplar, Osage, Quince, Redwood and Spruce streets.
The neighborhood walk will begin at 9 a.m. on April 7 at Northside Park. The walk will be completed by about noon. City officials will be at Northside Park at 8:30 a.m. to answer any questions members of the public may have about the walk, municipal codes and enforcement procedures. Everyone is welcome to join the walk.
During the walk, city officials, including department heads, will walk through a neighborhood and note code violations.
“This will be the seventh neighborhood walk to be held in the city,” Code Enforcement Officer Mikayla Rossiter said. “We have been very pleased with what residents have accomplished after these walks. Now we hope you will get involved with improving your neighborhood.”
After the walk, Rossiter will begin notifying specific renters and homeowners of violations they may have on their property.
“At that time, the legal clock starts ticking,” Rossiter said. A letter will describe the violations and timelines to bring a property into compliance with city codes.
Overall, code enforcement is more active than ever in Sweet Home. Rossiter is unsure exactly why, whether there are more code violations or whether persons are simply reporting them more often.
“I’m seeing an increase in all reports,” Rossiter said. Reported violations are growing in nearly every area, including vehicle violations, trash and junk, animals, living in RVs and grass and shrubs.
Reports of vehicle violations increased from 31 in 1999 to 331 in 2003. Reports of trash and junk increased from 57 to 196. Reports of animal violations increased from 9 to 26. Reports of living in RVs increased from 15 to 52. Grass and shrub violations grew from 18 to 24.
Code enforcement dealt with 35 sidewalk issues in 1999 but only 22 in 2003. In 2001, in connection with a neighborhood walk, the office handled 88 violations.
Planning and building issues were at 18 in 1999 and 42 in 2003. In 2001 and 2002 there were none, but in 2000 there were 10.
Reports that ended with no violation were at 56 in 1999 and 61 in 2003.
In the other category, code enforcement dealt with 64 reports in 1999 and 27 in 2003.
Violations may be reported to Rossiter by citizens or she may initiate action herself if she sees the violation.
“I’m getting a lot more phone calls and walk-ins,” Rossiter said, and she believes that vehicle storage on the streets is probably the biggest area of concern.
There seems to be “a few more vehicles for sale being posted on property where it can’t be done,” Rossiter said. The vehicle issues may be seasonal, she said, or it may be that peoples are more aware of city code. It also may be that it is simply becoming more of a problem.
Rossiter relies on residents to report problems, and in the year and a half she has been code enforcement officer, people seem to be more comfortable reporting them.
Residents must be her eyes on specific properties, she said. “You have to live with it every day. You have to see it every day.”
Other upcoming events involving code enforcement and Rossiter include the annual SOLV cleanup “Down by the Riverside,” which will cap off cleanup week, May 18-22. Sweet Home Sanitation does its annual free disposal of certain items on May 22. Volunteers also will clean up at Sankey Park, including removing garbage, brush and limbs. The volunteers will also clean and paint in the bathrooms. The event lasts from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and volunteers are needed, along with donations of paint supplies, food and drinks and door prizes to add a little fun to the work.
April 15 to May 15 is the notification period to residents to keep their grass cut. Following that period, the city will cut tall grassy weeds itself and charge property owners for the work.
Rossiter also is involved in the all-hazard mitigation planning committee. There will be a presentation at 10 a.m. on April 15 about a program to help neighborhood groups prepare for potential disasters, such as floods and wind storms.
For more information or to volunteer or donate, persons may contact Rossiter at 367-8113.