Oxford Village property owners were put on notice last night to make sure their properties are kept up to code beginning July 1 or they could expect a visit from the new code enforcement officer.
Council unanimously approved a resolution which ‘puts all property owners on notice of the focused code enforcement program which will begin with the new fiscal year in July.?
In its resolution, council stated it ‘has recognized the importance of maintaining properties at a high quality level as acknowledged in the recently adopted Master Plan.?
A component of the village’s new Master Plan calls for ‘a strong code enforcement program for maintaining housing quality? in order to protect local housing values.
‘We’re looking to improve the quality of our properties throughout the village be it weeds to painting to structural issues or other issues that deteriorate and decrease the value of properties as well as safety issues and health issues,? said Manager Joe Young at the village meeting.
To that end, the village’s recently adopted 2005-06 budget, which begins July 1, includes $10,971 for a new part-time code enforcement officer who will work 15 hours per week (780 hours per year) addressing code issues on both residential and commercial properties.
No one has been hired for the new position as of yet, according to village Manager Joe Young.
Young noted the Oxford DDA has endorsed this dedicated code enforcement effort with funds from its budget as well. The DDA’s 2005-06 budget contributes $25,000 toward the cost of increased police and code enforcement for property maintenance in the downtown all along M-24 and all other areas with its district.
In its resolution, council directed Young to ‘implement the code enforcement program as a positive process involving the property owners to improve and main tain their properties at the highest levels possible.?
Councilman Dave Bailey wished it noted that this program is merely the enforcement of existing codes and ordinances, not the creation of new ones.
‘This is a matter of attention ? let’s say increased attention ? to enforcement rather than any new rules, any new ordinances, any new guidelines,? Bailey said. ‘As far as I know the ordinances and the guidelines have not changed. It’s merely that we are increasingly aware that these things need to be properly enforced.?
Bailey does not want homeowners to ‘panic? and say ‘Oh my goodness, there’s new rules? to follow.
‘It’s the old rules that they have to follow,? the councilman said.