2004-05-12 Budget Study - Laserfiche WebLink

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Session 1920 May 12, 2004 system will be introduced; code-enforcement information will improve. Ms. Brungardt asked if these new systems opened new opportunities for fraud, and the answer was that it does. There will be more lee-way to not list all occupants; there will be problems with the School District. Documentation requirements will remain the same. Discussion on these points ensued. Increased personnel can provide increased service, along with these new services. External inspections on every property in town, every two years, put a strain on the inspection staff. The content of the inspections was debated vigorously in the past. If the City wants to sustain the two-year external inspection program, more staff is needed. The City Manager proposed changing the inspection cycle to five years because not many violations occur, and when they do they tend to be minor, or they are violations that have already been reported, either from occupancy inspections or from a complaint inspection. Ones yet-to-be reported, were almost always (over 90 per cent) minor in nature. No houses were found with major violations after an inspection which started first at the front of the house, and then proceeded to the sides and then to the rear of the house, if violations were found in front. This process has proved to be a waste of staff time. Ms. Brot volunteered to help rewrite the letter sent to citizens about these external inspections. Mr. Wagner said that what was needed was identification of a cycle length which would avoid the necessity to hire another inspector, and he suggested four or five years, whichever favored the least amount of change. Mayor Adams suggested a four-year cycle followed by a report to determine the effectiveness of this policy, leading to decisions to lengthen the cycle, if needed. Ms. Brot asked about City policy relating to railroad ties used in resident's gardens, and it was decided there is a need to communicate the City policy on this issue. Therefore, the budget shows $25,000 for additional part-time clerical and inspection positions, rather than an amount for two full-time positions, because the City Manager felt this avenue would solve this staff problem. The ordinance concerning this issue may have to be changed, Mr. Wagner pointed out. Mayor Adams suggested that the need at the beginning of the academic year for additional staff is an issue that can be raised with the Chancellor of Washington University, when asking for additional revenue. Some inspection and occupancy fees need to be increased, Mr. Ollendorff said, as he had pointed out when discussing the Revenue Section of the Budget. Ms. Welsch reported her suggestion to hire a code consultant to train staff to perform Page 3