Top Tyler Code Violation: Tall Grass and Weeds
Photo courtesy City of Tyler
By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer
The city’s Pro-Active Code Enforcement program, or PACE, has been extremely successful in its first six months of existence, city officials say.
Staff Writer
The city’s Pro-Active Code Enforcement program, or PACE, has been extremely successful in its first six months of existence, city officials say.
Since its inception in January, the program has identified more than 3,000 potential city code violations. The majority involved high vegetation or weeds and junk vehicles.
“We want to make citizens aware of what the code violations are so the issues can be addressed before the city starts heavily enforcing the rules,” said Councilman Donald Sanders.
The focus of the PACE program is to educate the community about code violations and to give residents the opportunity to correct any violations before Code Enforcement officers issue a citation. The program is showing early signs of success, city officials said; of the 3,000 initial inspections, only 42 resulted in the issuance of a citation.
“Empowering the citizens to help address these code violation issues will not only clean up our community, but it will build community pride,” said Councilman Ralph Caraway.
The city identified the top five code violations investigated in the past six months:
High vegetation and weeds (1,161 incidences) — High vegetation means any vegetation 18 inches or taller, including grass and brush.
Junk vehicles (669) — A vehicle is considered “junk” if it doesn’t have a current registration sticker and inspection sticker and:
- it is wrecked, dismantled, or discarded,
- it is inoperable on public property for 72 consecutive hours, or
- it is inoperable on any private property for 30 days.
Trash and junk on property (407) — All trash and abandoned materials must be removed from the property, disposed of, or stored.
Trees/fallen limbs (231)
Furniture (101)
The PACE program is an outcome of the Tyler21 planning process. City officials said residents voiced an overwhelming desire to see neighborhoods cleaned up and for city codes to be more strictly enforced. As a result, the city approved funding to create a Code Enforcement Department in 2007 and to hire four additional enforcement officers.
As a means of pro-actively identifying code violations, the city created a Code Enforcement Task Force. The team of 26 city employees is trained to document possible infractions, then report those to code officers who investigate.
“The Task Force is the eyes and ears of the Code Enforcement Department,” said Dan Brotton, key leader of the Code Enforcement Department. “This is a very cost-effective way to cover the entire city.”
The department is also looking for citizens involved in neighborhood associations, churches and community groups to join the Code Rangers. The Code Rangers receive training on the city code and report possible violations to the code enforcement officer assigned to their area. More information on PACE and the Code Rangers is available by calling the Code Enforcement Department at 903-531-1312.
“Empowering the citizens to help address these code violation issues will not only clean up our community, but it will build community pride,” said Councilman Ralph Caraway.
The city identified the top five code violations investigated in the past six months:
- it is wrecked, dismantled, or discarded,
- it is inoperable on public property for 72 consecutive hours, or
- it is inoperable on any private property for 30 days.
The PACE program is an outcome of the Tyler21 planning process. City officials said residents voiced an overwhelming desire to see neighborhoods cleaned up and for city codes to be more strictly enforced. As a result, the city approved funding to create a Code Enforcement Department in 2007 and to hire four additional enforcement officers.
As a means of pro-actively identifying code violations, the city created a Code Enforcement Task Force. The team of 26 city employees is trained to document possible infractions, then report those to code officers who investigate.
“The Task Force is the eyes and ears of the Code Enforcement Department,” said Dan Brotton, key leader of the Code Enforcement Department. “This is a very cost-effective way to cover the entire city.”
The department is also looking for citizens involved in neighborhood associations, churches and community groups to join the Code Rangers. The Code Rangers receive training on the city code and report possible violations to the code enforcement officer assigned to their area. More information on PACE and the Code Rangers is available by calling the Code Enforcement Department at 903-531-1312.
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