Lompoc’s complaint-driven program to enforce property-maintenance and nuisance-abatement policies will be examined at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
The discussion of how Lompoc is implementing its code-enforcement program was requested by Councilman Jim Mosby after receiving complaints from residents who believe they were being targeted by city employees.
“We went from providing door hangers with information to an all-hands code enforcement team of city staff,” Mosby said. “I believe what has changed is the city has deputized all city employees to be code-enforcement officers.”
Mosby said he believes city staff have “significantly modified” the code-enforcement program approved by a previous City Council that relied primarily on confidential complaints received from the public about substandard conditions or nuisance violations that are obvious from a street view.
According to the written report from Steve Boggs, the city’s code-enforcement officer, monthly staff meetings on code enforcement were restarted in September, and “allow staff to maximize the use of limited resources, as well as report on conditions that are observed within the community.”
An enforcement process is initiated only after the city receives a confidential complaint from the public about conditions that aren’t immediately visible from the street, according to Boggs.
“Violations such as substandard housing conditions and construction performed without permits are addressed through the complaint-based process,” the report stated.
But Mosby said the monthly staff meetings are now being used to permit city staff to initiate code enforcement complaints that go beyond the policy approved by council in 2012.
“If we’re modifying our program, the direction should occur openly at a council meeting, and not by the city manager’s wishes,” Mosby said.
The council will also receive a report and recommendations from a five-member committee tasked with reviewing the city’s controversial plan to charge utility ratepayers and airport users for public safety, street maintenance and replacement costs for city facilities, including City Hall.
Critics claim the proposed “cost reimbursements” are actually taxes being imposed in violation of state laws that require voter approval of new taxes, and are based on percentage-based allocations — rather than actual costs — that have been rejected by numerous court decisions.
If approved, the cost reimbursement plan would redirect $4.35 million of utility ratepayer revenue back to the city’s general fund budget, and would increase the pressure to raise utility rates in the future to compensate for the lost revenue.
The $4.35 million represents the total for the current 2015-17 budget, and would increase in future budget years. The new charges to utility ratepayers would be in addition to $10 million in overhead charges the utility funds now pay annually for administrative support.
Other items on the agenda include:
» A monthly update on the status of the proposed motorsports park at Lompoc Airport.
» Appointments to the city’s economic development committee and human services commission.
The council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in City Council chambers, 100 Civic Center Plaza.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Carol Benham can be reached at cbenham@noozhawk.com.Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.