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Dearborn Adds Four New Temp Ordinance Officers

Reacting to community leader complaints that the city needs to toughen its exterior property maintenance codes, the city of Dearborn on Tuesday will have four additional ordinance officers patrolling the city, the Dearborn Press & Guide reports.

The changes were prompted in part by community leaders who said the city’s decision to be more “compassionate” with residents in relation to property maintenance codes, primarily overgrown grass, wasn’t working. For earlier story, click HERE.

The officers have been hired on a temporary basis and will help patrol the city for about seven weeks, stepping up enforcement of Dearborn’s overgrown grass ordinance, documenting problems and issuing citations, according to the paper.

“We believe this is consistent with our policy of keeping a lean staff and adding more during crunch times,” Dearborn Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., tells the Press & Guide.

The temp officers, selected from a pool of applicants who applied for summer grounds keeping jobs with the city, will help provide stricter enforcement of the city’s grass ordinance. O’Reilly says homes that have been cited before for overgrown grass will now have one day to cut it.

O’Reilly tells the Press & Guide that the change isn’t intended to punish homeowners but, instead, change the way people think.

“This is about changing behavior,” he told the paper. “We don’t want to punish people who don’t deserve it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 at 6:32 am and is filed under Around Town, City Hall. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • Donna Hay

    Great to hear that they have hired 4 temp. employees to help patrol the city for the summer months. I am wonder why they hired these people from the Ground Keeping applicants when the city had interviewed people for Inspector jobs before those positions were cut due to the budget. The people who applied for the Field Inspectors job must have been well qualified for that position so why pick from another area? The Field Inspectors job was also part time – 32 hr/week, 8 hr/day, 4 days/week. There were no benefits or pension. Doesn’t make much sense to me.

  • Michael D. Albano

    The only question I have, is if the city wants to change behavior, WHY is this only lasting 7 weeks and why isn’t it permanent?

  • Donna Hay

    Thanks Michael I guess I missed that part. Maybe in Dearborn the grass quits growing at the end of July! Hate to tell city hall but my grass grows until Sept.

  • kay

    The deputy fire chief is retiring at the end of June. Last May (2009) the Dearborn Fire Chief announced his retirement on July 31 2009. Since then, the deputy chief has been acting as chief. 10 months and no Fire Chief has been appointed. What is this mayor doing? Now the deputy is retiring!! Seems as if the Mayor is constantly putting out fires…pardon the pun. I often wonder what the delay has been. I hope it’s not because he is looking from someone outside of Dearborn like he did with the police chief.

  • LifelongDbnRes

    I hope it doesn’t rain on the day they give that “1 day” to cut it!

  • Donna Hay

    kay, I think that would be a great question to ask at the next council meeting – June 7th.

  • AVH

    That’s stupid…they should be hired until the end of Summer! I’ve had neighbors on my street that haven’t cut their grass in 2 weeks! Very Lazy….or most don’t care since many on the block rent the houses and feel it’s not their problem. The City really needs to step up here! Another problem I see is that many people in Dearborn are having Yard/Garage sales without getting a permit. And thay are having the sale practically every other weekend…now as I remember you are allowed only 2 Yard Sales a year per residence. Guess they figure its a money making business…..

  • Bep

    Do we really need to hire 4 more people? how many do we have now? better question…how hard do they work? Well if we are going to hire new people I’m going to help make sure they are doing the job. I encourage everyone to do the same while out on walks/ bike rides or whatever through your neighborhood write down addresses of those with long grass if it is still long 3-4 days later call and report. If the major isn’t going to take the bull by the horns and make city employees make HONEST livings then we should flood the phone lines. The waste and apathy that goes along with the city is disgraceful. The Dearborn Farmers market couldn’t put a sign on City Hall’s lawn to advertise because they couldn’t find somebody to put it up and take it down every week. I mean, seriously?!!!

  • Doriguzzi

    I really hope that they give these temporary employees a crash course in what the actual regulations are.

    Nothing is more annoying than a new inspector with a violations pad who doesn’t really know what he or she is doing. Oh wait. There is. It’s a full time, experienced inspector on a power trip.

  • Donna Hay

    Bep – you can probably bet your last dollar that when the market opens this Friday Jack will be right there taking credit for something he isn’t involved in. Joan should get all the credit for putting this together and for all the hard work she puts into it. Can’t be an easy job but she certainly shines week after week.

  • Donna Hay

    Doriguzzi, this is why I question why they didn’t hire from the candidates they had interviewed for the Inspector positions rather than hire from the people that applied for groundkeeper duties. Maybe that was a little to logical.

  • Michael D. Albano

    I have learned from interviews that there are supposed to be 8 Residential Services Field Inspectors and 12-16 DPW Commercial Field Inspectors. Due to some residential areas either having businesses in them or adjacent to them, some DPW Commerical Field Inspectors overlap into residential inspections, therefore the reason for having more Commercial Inspectors.

    Residential Services Director Nick Siroskey, someone down to earth and easy to talk with informed me recently that his budget had large cuts due to the economy and that Commercial even took some cuts. Also, based upon my contacts and what I’ve read in the Press and Guide and here, the city always had a proactive policy of Field Inspectors actually going out in the field almost daily to inspect their territories and enforcing codes like tall grass, etc. The policy was changed some time ago to reactive, only responding to complaints, trying to be kinder and gentler, which by what we’ve all read, did not work and upset many residents including myself. There was a time not that long ago where it was hard for me in my blading around town to notice any high grass or blight issues in Dearborn. Then when the policy changed to reactive, I noticed a lot of properties that were looking unkempt with high grass and other issues.

    Now the city has gone back to a proactive policy and while it might take time to catch up, it is the policy that kept Dearborn far cleaner and nicer looking than most surrounding communities. While much of our housing stock is older and smaller due to being built after WWII, in my drives and blading through surrounding communities which I do regularly.we had some of the best kept properties around.

    I’m glad to see they’ve went back to proactive inspections and I hope these groundskeepers are qualified and do a great job, but in my opinion the city should make these jobs permanent part time and have real field inspectors doing the work, especially during spring, summer and fall and not only 7 weeks of the year to catch up.

    As Donna Hay stated, these 3 Field Inspectors that quit were only paid $12.00 per hour, no benefits, no pension and worked 4 days per week, 8 hours per day. I’ve also heard that some do not do their job and spend much of the day in coffee shops and restaurants. I personally have not witnessed that, but know reliable, honest people who have told me such. But I can assure you that the old policy that the city has brought back worked and the policy of being reactive was a huge failure evidenced by all the tall grass and run down properties I’d see in my trips around town, even in many homes that were not foreclosures and financial company owned.

  • NObama & NOreilly

    Not that you care, but here’s where I’m at with this type of government employee. I understand the need for city inspectors because the reality is that people tend to be lazy in general, and will not maintain his/her property. With that said, why should my tax money pay for someone to ‘babysit’ or ‘supervise’ the lazy? Therefore, I think the city needs to isolate the city inspectors and treat it as it own business. The fines levied out from infractions should offset the operating expenses of this dept. Sort of like a quota system. (Don’t worry, if you do right, you won’t be fined) This would need some type of regulation, because we don’t want to burden the citizens with extremely picky fines.

    But honestly, it takes 9 people (or whatever it is) to drive around the CITY OF DEARBORN looking for infractions? 8 hours is not enough time in the day to drive the ENTIRE city looking for eye soars and handling them appropriately? Give me $150,000 a year, cut the other 8 (or however many) positions, (which would save the city money) and I guarantee that I’ll have the city covered each working day.

  • pdmom

    Cops also cite property with issues if they see them.

  • kay

    Perhaps we can take this ‘neighborhood watch’ idea to a whole new level. I saw at least half a dozen houses last night while out on a short bike ride. Once of which was Andy Pazino’s house on Military. Next time I will take a pad and pencil.

  • Paul Mastrogiacomo

    So, NObamaNOreilly, you’ll cover some 30000 residences in 8 hours in a single day? That means driving past 60 homes every minute. If you get lucky and only have 1% of homes to cite and get even luckier and can average only 2 minutes on each property that’s already 10 hours of work. And you haven’t even driven anywhere in those 10 hours.

  • FedUpNow

    NobamaNOreilly makes a great point but it will never happen,government will never be able to run like a private business nor will their way of thinking ever be on par with private business thinking.Why should there be any accountability when the city has an endless supply of tax payer money to cover all their mistakes and law suites?

    KAY,i agree with you about your fire chief speculation,unfortunately the Dearborn Mack Daddy loves to put people in key positions that were never from Dearborn or do not live in Dearborn.Gee,think that might have a little to do with the shape the city is in now?

    Has anyone seen the city parks lately?
    The grass is a foot high at most of the parks,i see city workers out there cutting but it seems like the grass is still higher than i have ever seen it,i know in years past we had a lot of rain also and the grass wasn’t this bad in all the parks,whats the difference this year?

  • vincent

    The reason the Field Inspectors weren’t doing their job was because no one was checking on them, especially Nick Sirosky who was always seen smoking cigars, and playing the poker machines at La Cigar — keep up the good work boys, why the City keeps loooking like s t.

  • Michael D. Albano

    Nobama,

    I agree totally with your 1st paragraph.

    There was a time that police reported such issues during their daily police duties and when we did only have 1 Field Inspector – John Cascardo who has been the Deputy Director of Residential Services for some time, but his duties now are primarily the Dearborn Federation of Neighborhood Association and the 30 or so neighborhood associations. I have no idea what John earned for the Field Inspector position, but I am sure it was nowhere near $150,000 per year because that much money today would pay 7 field inspectors.

    In my opinion, today due to such high foreclosures, with so many lender owned properties, with so many rental occupied homes, knowing that more absentee owners do not take care of their property as well as owner-occupants from my HOA background, no offense intended, but it would be nearly impossible for 1 person to tackle being the field inspector, unless perhaps they worked 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

    Because the city has cut 25% of the work force and is cutting more this fiscal year, with many not being replaced or being filled by part time workers, I would surmise that eventually department heads and supervisors would have to take some pay cuts, which may help pay for the field positions. Also, since the city has changed it’s escrow policy on buying homes and now instead of having to put 150% down or a bond on older homes needing code upgrades before occupancy, and now there is a flat $495 fee, hopefully we will see more owner occupants and other desirable homeowners choosing Dearborn again, instead of surrounding communities. Despite what some many think of our leaders, that new escrow policy will help and we can thank the Dearborn Board of Realtors, council and the mayor for finally approving it.

  • Bep

    Nobama- Exactly! I bet if it became it’s own business they would have it cut down to 2 maybe 3 guys.

  • NObama & NOreilly

    Excuse me if you couldn’t catch my sarcasm. Yes, it’s too big of a job for 1 person. My point is that 9 is way too many to enforce the ordinances. CREATIVITY is greatly needed within the government sector for providing the same or more services for less cost. Let me generalize for a second, part of the issue is the citizens wanting more and more. Unfortunately, government is not able to provide more without blowing the budgets, because they operate with a limitless ceiling. I’m just hoping the citizens stand up during elections to enforce a “ceiling” and bring accountability back for the usage of OUR money.

  • Marge

    The most effective, and cheapest way to solve the maintenance problem is to decrease the number of renters. Renters do not invest in their property and it shows! The Mayor’s new policy of stopping the escrow requirements for new buyers should help young people BUY homes. Hopefully, these people will invest in the upkeep of their home. Let us not forget the the peer pressure among homeowners. Ownership is KEY to better neighborhoods – and as I have stated before – in the commercial properties as well. Let us not forget that landlords are ONLY in it for the money. Ownership is good all the way around – people who own there homes invest in their home, their schools, churches and even in their commercial districts. This is something Dearborn once had but it has slipped away – once we get it back, many problems we discuss will take care of themselves.

  • Michael D. Albano

    Nobama, I don’t know the right number of Field Inspectors, but if we crunch the numbers and city’s 24.5 square miles, adding in at least 12 Commercial and 8 Residential Inspectors, it seems that their territories are not that large. But perhaps there is more to it than we know. But until I know more, if I ever know more, I’m on the same page with you.

    Marge, you make many valid points. I was president and a board member for 9 years on a large homeowners association and while most renters are fine people, it is the small percentage of them that overwhelm an associations resources in police, fire, EFMS, the board, management, security, maintenance and more. When tried “nice” with that small group of renters but all it did was bring in more of the same. Then when we went to fining the owners heavily per day for repeated infractions, when we required a criminal background check with no felony or serious misdemeanor record in order to move in, those owners evicted bad tenants, moved in law abiding ones and as soon as word got out that we no longer tolerated those kind of people, the trouble ended and more desirable people moved in.

    We went from an 8% owner occupancy rate to over 55% owner occupancy pretty quickly and our complex became, for lack of a better term, a place working people on up could afford, yet the Taj Mahal of complexes. I’ve worked with council and Residential Services pushing the Crime Free Housing Program that is nationwide, and while they haven’t approved it, I’m told by Councilman Abraham that soon the city may have their own crime free program which does require a criminal background renter check before move in and that the city will grandfather in, as we did, the current renters, and freeze the % of renters per neighborhood association. The sooner they do this, the better in my opinion.

  • Milwood Fordson

    I’m so tired of the lack of enforcement maybe now more will get done or these new officers will be more pro-active. this city is looking pretty trashy lately, with the tall grass, hanging limbs, God awful garage sale signs everywhere, cars parked on lawns.

    Our city has gotten so laxed on so many of those “petty” ordinances that used to bring a certain quality of life to our city. Please don’t get me wrong if thay are truely petty then repeal them and move on. otherwise lets enforce them and bring that quality back to our community.

  • Marge

    Michael D. Albano – thanks for the support on this point of ownership. I hope you have shared this as many council members as possible. I really think we can get our city back if we can get more ownership.
    I must add though, that I think Dearborn in general still looks pretty good. AS residents, we need to report those who are not taking care – it is for the good of all.

  • Michael D. Albano

    Marge, despite some properties, usually bank properties foreclosed upon not being kept up to Dearborn’s standards we became accustomed to, after living in the once great state of California for almost 25 years, a state that in my opinion will never be what it was, I agree that Dearborn still looks far better than most…

  • Dearborn Watcher

    Neighborhood Services (DPW) Field Inspectors: 10
    Commercial Field Inspectors (ECD): 3
    Residential Field Inspectors (RSD): 8
    Rodent Control Inspectors (DPW): 2

    This is the breakdown of the city inspectors that do the property ordinance enforcement. This does not take into account the new temp ordinance officers that the city hired to help with the grass enforcement. Almost all of these positions are part time. The city used to have full time inspectors but eliminated all those positions several years ago and replaced them with a part time staff.

  • Michael D. Albano

    Great info DW. Thanks…