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Item No: 01 Meeting Date: 2/3/03 Type of Business: WK WK: Work Session; PH: Public Hearing; CA: Consent Agenda; CB: Council Business City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor & City Council From: Jeremiah Anderson, Housing/Code Enforcement Inspector Item Title/Subject: Code Enforcement Presentation Date of Report: January 29, 2003 Background: The City of Mounds View Community Development Department operates several programs that share the core goal to protect the health and safety of the citizen’s of Mounds View through the enforcement of duly-adopted codes and ordinances. These programs set out to accomplish that core goal through a variety of different methods and procedures. Staff understands that the City Council is interested in what is currently being utilized to enforce these various provisions of the City Code. Code Enforcement is quite often a comprehensive effort and can at times employ the use of several methods to achieve a desired result. Code enforcement can be defined as the process by which public agencies gain compliance with laws, regulations, and permits over which they have authority. Others may view code enforcement as an annoying intrusion into the free use of private property. Traditionally, it has been a process where local governments use various techniques to gain compliance with duly-adopted regulations such as land use and zoning ordinances, health and housing codes, and uniform building and fire codes. In recent years, state and federal regulations have come into play and local governments are now obliged to include enforcement of these rules and regulations in the array of responsibilities they assume for protecting the public health and welfare. In many respects, code enforcement is a specialized form of law enforcement, subject to all the legal standards and constitutional limitations that law enforcement entails. This report and presentation will explain the methods, steps, and various procedures, currently being utilized to gain compliance with the Nuisance Code, Housing Maintenance Code, and applicable sections of the Zoning Code. Discussion: Traditionally, the enforcement process will begin after a citizen files a complaint with the Community Development Department, another City department, or an outside public agency such as child protection contacts the Community Development Department. Additionally, the residential code compliance program involves proactively investigating