Aurora aldermen are considering an ordinance that city staff said would make for better enforcement of property codes.
The City Council Tuesday will consider an ordinance that would allow the city’s Department of Neighborhood Standards to expand its use of administrative citations – known as “P-tickets” – to enforce the property maintenance code and the zoning ordinance.
Currently the tickets are used by Animal Control, the city’s Quality of Life enforcement, Motor Vehicle Parking and other places to enforce city codes.
The City Council is expected to vote on the new ordinance at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. They discussed it at a recent Committee of the Whole meeting.
The expansion of Neighborhood Standards enforcement would mainly make violators have to comply within seven days instead of the current 14 days, but would give them a first ticket warning that means if they do comply within that time, they can escape a fine altogether.
According to a memo from Chuck Nelson, Neighborhood Standards director, to Mayor Robert O’Connor, more enforcement is needed because Aurora, similar to other communities, “has experienced growth and expanded its rental licensing program, with the most recent expansion including inspections of all single-family rentals and all other non-owner occupied properties.”
He added that the expansion increased the need for the city staff’s ability to utilize administrative citations more efficiently.
Many of the ordinance violations would be for property owners who keep junk and open trash on their property. It could be failure to repair certain items, like crumbling concrete. It also could be for things not allowed, such as certain kinds of carports.
The new ordinance would require that notice of violations be sent to the property owner, and a tenant, if applicable; and that offenses would require a date-stamped photograph showing the violation.
“There is a warning system,” said Kelvin Beene, property standards manager. “So, if you get a ticket and you comply right away, you can get rid of the fine altogether.”
Fines for violations range from $50 to $500, and would accumulate if a violation continues.
Alderman Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, asked why the compliance time was cut from 14 to seven days.
Corporation Counsel Alayne Weingartz said that many of the violations, such as junk, trash or signs in the right-of-way, can be take care of within a week. She said the quicker the time frame, the quicker neighbors are relieved of the situation.
She and other city officials added that there can be exemptions made and a longer time given, if the violation needs more time to remedy, or cannot be fixed for some reason.
Alderman Michael Saville, 6th Ward, said he did not think the increased enforcement addresses his main concern of repeat offenders who are cited “year after year after year.”
Nelson said he thinks the progressive nature of the fines would take care of that, because the fines would mount up over time.
“I know fining is important,” Saville said. “But I want compliance.”
Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns, 7th Ward, chairman of the Government Operations Committee that recommended the new ordinance, suggested aldermen approve the change and have Neighborhood Standards come back in six months for a review.
“I’m happy with all of it,” she said. “But with the questions we have, why don’t we have them come back after six months?”
