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Volunteers might patrol Mesa for code violations
Gary Nelson Several Mesa neighborhoods may soon have cadres of citizen code-compliance officers on the lookout for trash, weeds and other signs of urban blight. Although a City Council committee endorsed the idea Monday, a couple of members saw potential downsides. "Some very strange people may gravitate to this program," Councilman Rex Griswold said. But Ray Villa, Mesa's code compliance director, and Stephanie Wright of the Mesa Grande Community Alliance said no one will be allowed to use the program to harass neighbors or carry out personal vendettas. The idea sprang last year from meetings among Mesa Grande, Golden Hills and Marlborough Mesa neighborhoods, and the area served by the CARE Partnership in west-central Mesa. The program would train teams of volunteers to note code violations and prepare "courtesy notices" to offenders. The notices would be mailed by the city's code compliance office. Since 90 percent of violators voluntarily fix problems when they're notified, the thinking is that this will save time for the city's code staff, allowing it to focus on tougher cases. "I'm somewhat hesitant as to your overall success," Councilman Mike Whalen told Wright. Whalen is not sure enough volunteers can be found, and said, "People will be afraid to do some of this because there's always that one person in the neighborhood that everybody is concerned with." Still, Whalen joined Griswold and Scott Somers in forwarding the idea to the full City Council. "There's a lot of work to be done in this area," Whalen said, "and it's not just the older neighborhoods. It's some of the newer neighborhoods where people find themselves so busy they don't have time to take care of their house." If the full council approves, the program will operate for a year on a trial basis and, if successful, may be expanded citywide.
Volunteers might patrol Mesa for code violations Several Mesa neighborhoods may soon have cadres of citizen code-compliance officers on the lookout for trash, weeds and other signs of urban blight. Although a City Council committee endorsed the idea Monday, a couple of members saw potential downsides. "Some very strange people may gravitate to this program," Councilman Rex Griswold said. But Ray Villa, Mesa's code compliance director, and Stephanie Wright of the Mesa Grande Community Alliance said no one will be allowed to use the program to harass neighbors or carry out personal vendettas. The idea sprang last year from meetings among Mesa Grande, Golden Hills and Marlborough Mesa neighborhoods, and the area served by the CARE Partnership in west-central Mesa. The program would train teams of volunteers to note code violations and prepare "courtesy notices" to offenders. The notices would be mailed by the city's code compliance office. Since 90 percent of violators voluntarily fix problems when they're notified, the thinking is that this will save time for the city's code staff, allowing it to focus on tougher cases. "I'm somewhat hesitant as to your overall success," Councilman Mike Whalen told Wright. Whalen is not sure enough volunteers can be found, and said, "People will be afraid to do some of this because there's always that one person in the neighborhood that everybody is concerned with." Still, Whalen joined Griswold and Scott Somers in forwarding the idea to the full City Council. "There's a lot of work to be done in this area," Whalen said, "and it's not just the older neighborhoods. It's some of the newer neighborhoods where people find themselves so busy they don't have time to take care of their house." If the full council approves, the program will operate for a year on a trial basis and, if successful, may be expanded citywide. Volunteers might patrol Mesa for code violations
Gary Nelson Several Mesa neighborhoods may soon have cadres of citizen code-compliance officers on the lookout for trash, weeds and other signs of urban blight. Although a City Council committee endorsed the idea Monday, a couple of members saw potential downsides. "Some very strange people may gravitate to this program," Councilman Rex Griswold said. But Ray Villa, Mesa's code compliance director, and Stephanie Wright of the Mesa Grande Community Alliance said no one will be allowed to use the program to harass neighbors or carry out personal vendettas. The idea sprang last year from meetings among Mesa Grande, Golden Hills and Marlborough Mesa neighborhoods, and the area served by the CARE Partnership in west-central Mesa. The program would train teams of volunteers to note code violations and prepare "courtesy notices" to offenders. The notices would be mailed by the city's code compliance office. Since 90 percent of violators voluntarily fix problems when they're notified, the thinking is that this will save time for the city's code staff, allowing it to focus on tougher cases. "I'm somewhat hesitant as to your overall success," Councilman Mike Whalen told Wright. Whalen is not sure enough volunteers can be found, and said, "People will be afraid to do some of this because there's always that one person in the neighborhood that everybody is concerned with." Still, Whalen joined Griswold and Scott Somers in forwarding the idea to the full City Council. "There's a lot of work to be done in this area," Whalen said, "and it's not just the older neighborhoods. It's some of the newer neighborhoods where people find themselves so busy they don't have time to take care of their house." If the full council approves, the program will operate for a year on a trial basis and, if successful, may be expanded citywide. |
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