Fire Committee meeting tomorrow evening

Remember that the City Council's "fire committee" is going to meet tomorrow at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. to talk about possible solutions to the continuing problem of Code Enforcement here in Watonga.  It would be nice to have some citizens there to show that they are concerned.  Mayor Loosen has hired a Code Enforcer, but he (Robert Daugherty) is also a full-time fireman (and assistant fire chief).  His primary duty is fireman.   Mayor Loosen guessed that Robert spend about 10-12 hours a week but couldn't say for sure.  He had some notice of violation letters in his hand but couldn't tell us how many notices Robert has actually sent out. Both the fire chief and Robert himself have said he doesn't have time to do Code Enforcement the way it needs to be done.  

It has  been brought up several times to the City Council that we need a separate full-time Code Enforcement officer just to get caught up on all of the properties that need to be addressed.  It is a process and it takes time, but the fact that it is a process doesn't justify not doing the job.  Is the City Clerk doing the clerical (paperwork) part of code enforcement or is that part of Robert's job?  Is there any kind of written job description for Code Enforcement officer?  This is how it has worked in the past:  The code enforcement officer sees a code violation (excessive weeds and/or tall grass, trash in yard, etc.).  He fills out a form with the name and address of the owner of the property and turns it over to the City Clerk.  Her office then sends out a letter notifying the owner of the violation and gives the owner 10 days to remedy the situation.  The letter itself says there will be a hearing at the end of 10 days, but up until now there are no hearings held on code enforcement.  Most property owners take care of the violation timely or ask for an extension of time.  If the owner doesn't comply, the City will mow or clean the yard and then send a bill to the homeowner.  Our City Code provides for a citation to be issued by the Code Enforcer and a fine of "up to $500.00" to be levied on the owner, but this has never been done.  The City has plenty of Codes to enforce -- we don't need any new codes; we need the City to enforce the Codes. 

There are several properties in Watonga that have been "condemned" by the fire chief/code enforcer over a year ago.  When are those properties going to be demolished? They are a health and safety hazard and some are a serious fire hazard. 

Our City's failure to enforce city Code isn't a matter of money or time.... Yes, every town deals with the issue of Code Enforcement.  The problem here in Watonga is that it just isn't being dealt with.  The citizens of Watonga can and should hold the City government responsible for taking care of this serious issue.  But unless people speak up, it's going to continue on the path it is now and probably just get worse.  WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO ONE OF THESE PROPERTIES?  There are several city council representatives who are on top of this issue and ask questions and want something to be done about it.  Talk to your councilperson and let him or her know how you feel about it.  But even more importantly:  ATTEND the Committee meeting if you can and hear what solutions are being suggested by your council person.