Sean C. Morgan
Sweet Home Police Community Services Officer Gina Riley will take over code enforcement duties for the city Thursday, Aug. 1.
The Sweet Home City Council appointed Riley to that position during its regular meeting on July 23.
Code Enforcement Officer Mike Remesnick had been working half time in code enforcement and half time as the city’s building official. With recently increasing building activity, he has had less time to devote to code enforcement, recently working about 25 percent code enforcement and 75 percent in the building program.
With the retirement of Community Development Director Carol Lewis on July 31, the department’s functions, including code enforcement, are moving into other departments.
“We’re going to assume the code enforcement role,” said Police Chief Jeff Lynn. “I think it’ll be pretty much a seamless transition. I think it really has a chance to work well.”
The department already has the policies and procedures in place to handle the job, he said. Dispatchers will be available 24-7 to take complaints. Complainants will no longer need to leave voice mail after typical work hours. The dispatcher can gather the information and refer it to Riley.
Riley will continue working half time as the community services officer. She will no longer handle evidence. Those duties are moving to records, which has been half time in dispatch. A half-time dispatcher will become full time.
Lynn hopes that will help build flexibility into dispatch, which has been running at minimum staffing levels. The records position can still fill in at dispatch when a dispatcher is on vacation or sick.
The SHPD will take a proactive approach to code enforcement while continuing to try to get voluntary compliance from property owners, Lynn said.
“If you step back and look, code enforcement and community services go hand in hand,” Lynn said.
Riley, who noted that she has been working in the community for the last four years, believes the connections she has already established through community services, Neighborhood Watch in particular, will help her with code enforcement, she said.
“What I’ve been doing is just trying to get a feel for the community the past couple of weeks,” she said. Last Friday, she stopped and talked to a man at a residence where a motor home had been out front for a week. She advised him that they can’t stay out front that long. It was something he didn’t know, but he was preparing to use it soon anyway.
“I think that first contact with an individual is important,” Riley said. “That’s the way I’d want to get it.”
Once she starts working on a particular issue, her goal will be to work with the property owner to gain compliance, Riley said. She will continue to work with the property owner as long as the property owner is making progress on the issue.
If progress is too slow or there is a “stalemate,” then she will need to step up the enforcement action.
Some offenders have a lifestyle that results in violations, and she will need to stay on top of those, she said. “There will be those ongoing issues.”
It takes a long time for some violations to grow to the point of enforcement, she said, and it can take awhile to clean up.
“Progress is what we’re looking for,” Riley said, and she wants to be able to help find and offer solutions.
A woman recently came to the city looking for information on how to get the city to repair a sidewalk, she said, but the city actually requires property owners to maintain and repair sidewalks. She had no idea how to fix a sidewalk or whom to call. Remesnick helped her out, showing her how to find people who can repair sidewalks.
For more information about code enforcement or to contact Riley, call the Police Department at (541)367-5181. Complaint forms will be available on the city’s website at sweet-home.or.us.
Lynn encourages people to provide contact information so the department can respond.