TO: Mayor Colvin and Members of City Council
THRU: Lachelle H. Pulliam, City Attorney
FROM: Victoria Curtis, Assistant City Attorney
DATE: June 8, 2026
RE:Title
Code Enforcement Compliance & Environmental CourtTitle
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal I: Safe and Secure Community
Goal III: Desirable Place to Live, Work and Recreate
Priority 1: Continue Implementing a Comprehensive Approach to Community Safety
Priority 2: Continue the City's Commitment to Revitalization Efforts and Housing Needs
Executive Summary:
Following a Councilmember request from Councilman Haire on April 6, 2026, the City Council provided consensus for the CAO to research additional opportunities to enforce violations that exist for extended periods of time, other than prosecuting through Environmental Court.
Background:
There a number of violations, particularly solid waste violations that remain unresolved by the property owner or occupant. These violations diminish the quality of life for neighbors, decrease the value of adjacent properties, and have an overall negative affect on the City. Currently cases like these are handled by requesting a criminal summons. If the magistrate issues the summons, the cases are prosecuted in a special court for ordinance violations, Environmental Court. While the case proceeds through the court system, the violations usually remain unresolved.
Issues/Analysis:
The issue is a small percentage of code violations are never addressed by the owner/occupant. In those cases, the violation remains unresolved and the City must step in to correct the violation or take further action. The interest here is to speed up the enforcement process and introduce alternatives to Environmental Court which takes a number of months to get a violation resolved, if ever.
State statutes allow cities to abate violations, sometimes without notice. The City can take a more aggressive...
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