Full-time enforcement officer recognized as main reason for city wide property cleanup
By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
A year after Medical Lake's code enforcement officer went full-time the prevalence of junk vehicles, appliances and other debris has noticeably decreased on property around the city.
“We have a very active code enforcement officer,” City Administrator Doug Ross said. “He enjoys what he does, which is great, and he's out pretty much all day every day.”
Ross and members of the City Council have said they've noticed a general cleanup of the town since Don Mayfield began regularly patrolling for nuisance violations late last summer.
Mayfield was a part-time police officer in 2008 when he was hired to enforce chapter nine of the city's municipal code, the first time Medical Lake had such a position in place. Mayfield left the job briefly but returned to the position full-time last August.
Prior to this the position had always been combined with other roles, such as court bailiff or public works technician, with the code enforcement aspect of the job being secondary. For years this meant insufficient enforcement of nuisance violations, which include trash-covered yards, unprotected cesspools, unsightly structures and abandoned or partially destroyed buildings. Aesthetic complaints, such as overgrown lawns or flaking paint, are not covered under the city code.
Ross himself once handled code enforcement but said it was difficult to be very effective on a complaint basis. “We weren't very proactive before,” Ross said. “If I got a call I'd go look at it, then take a look through the code and see if it was a violation or not.”
These days Mayfield said he might be out on patrol at any time of the week except when he's presenting evidence in court. If he sees a violation he'll send a certified letter to the property owner explaining the consequences of the infraction and allow 15-30 days for a response. If there is no reply or the violation isn't dealt with, he'll send out a second letter and wait another 15 days before issuing a $548 fine.
In a recent City Council meeting Councilwoman Brenda Redell said while she's noticed the city seems cleaner these days, there is still room for improvement. “It's those bank-owned properties, or vacant properties, especially up in Fox Hollow and Fox Ridge,” she said. “I'm seeing a lack of care and I don't know if there's a lot we can do, but it's a concentration area.”
Ross said Mayfield has since been notified of the problem, but the city code doesn't differentiate between absentee property owners and in-town owners. “We send the notice out just as when there are occupied lots and they have to come in and fix the problem,” he said.
According to Ross, some residents have issued complaints about the heavy-handedness of the city's code enforcement policy, but he said there's no excuse for not resolving an issue when it's laid out in black and white. “It's all right there in front of them,” he said. “If someone has a legitimate excuse we'll listen. It just takes a call.”
So far this year Mayfield said he's sent out 94 notices of violation, about half of what was issued last year. “I also stop and talk to people and let them know about possible violations,” he said. “It seems to be getting better.”
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at [email protected].
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