InTucker Magazine

From the Mayor – December 2019

A few months ago, I used this space to discuss some of the triumphs of our City of Tucker Code Enforcement Department. Without rehashing that column, I want to reiterate that these dedicated professionals have made a difference in upholding our Code and, in the process, have dramatically advanced the City’s first duty, which is to maintain the health, safety and welfare of our residents and business owners. The other important outcome of their work is maintaining the environmental, aesthetic and property values within our neighborhoods and commercial corridors.

Every city has a municipal code that defines the rules for living and working there. We can always adjust those codes based in part on the desires of our citizens, but whatever the code is, every city has to have code enforcement officers to enforce the code, the same way we have law enforcement officers to enforce the law.

Our Communications team for the City monitors social media all the time, as one of many ways we seek to understand issues around the City, and how we are doing at addressing them. There are a couple of common misperceptions that I’d like to address. One is that our Code Enforcement team is “targeting” certain areas, as it’s been put. That’s not the case at all, and never will be. In almost every case, our officers are responding to complaints from the community. If they give you a citation for having tires stacked in your carport, it’s usually because one of your neighbors filed a Code complaint. It is also true that in the course of their duties, our officers sometimes see a clear violation, and when they do, it’s their duty to address it. It’s their job, and their obligation.

Another common misunderstanding is that Code Enforcement is a moneymaker for Tucker, and that we are writing citations just to pad the City coffers. With all due respect, I have to chuckle at that because, as anyone who has a hand in our budget knows, Code Enforcement actually loses revenue. During Fiscal Year 2019, we collected roughly $70,000 in Code Enforcement fines. Between renting a courtroom, buying court software, paying judges, solicitors and interpreters, our expenses were nearly $90,000. And that doesn’t include paying our full-time Court Clerk and Assistant Court Clerk. We spend that money to achieve the goals I mentioned above about protecting our citizens, our environment, and our property values. So next time you see someone write on social media that our Code Enforcement team is abusive or only in it to make money for the City, you can copy and paste this paragraph and let them know how it really works.

One other number that’s very important to all of us is 70 percent. That’s the percentage of our Code Enforcement citations that were resolved in Fiscal Year 2019 without a fine being paid. And a citation is not usually issued until a courtesy notice has been given, and the person has had a chance to remedy the issue, in which case the matter will be dropped. If they don’t get it taken care of in a reasonable period of time, these residents or business owners receive a citation and then have more time to address it before being required to appear in court. And if they appear in court and prove the violation has been taken care of, it’s usually dropped then. It’s only after all of that, that a person would typically be fined for a violation. That’s the way Code Enforcement should function – give everyone a chance to do the right thing, then take the strongest measures against the relative few who simply won’t uphold our community’s standards.

We are lucky to have the team that we do here in Tucker. I could sing their praises for many more paragraphs, but understand that they have a hard job. As in any city, there will be people who are angry at Code Enforcement. But I assure you that many more people are grateful for their work and the impact it has on our community. I know I am.