One Community Update
May 11, 2024

Source: www.actionnews5.com

Cracking down on crime in Memphis, one blighted house at a time. Mayor Paul Young gave the code enforcement team a daunting task: speed up the clean-up of dilapidated homes that attract vagrants and violence in neighborhoods.

It takes at least 120 to 180 days for the citation process to work, and often the courts must get involved. But getting the inspector out to your neighborhood is an important first step.

At an abandoned house on Princeton Avenue in Binghampton on Friday, code enforcement inspector Marc Middlebrooks became a key part of Mayor Young’s Operation Code Zero crime mitigation plan.

“We want to make sure that we try to get the house boarded and secured,” Middlebrooks told Action News 5, “and eventually rehabbed so someone can actually be living in the house.”

If the out-of-town owner doesn’t make improvements and the house is vacant, the city will cut the grass, board up the windows and place a lien on the property.

The city hires contract crews to cut the grass at more than 9,000 private properties each year with a budget of about $1.7 million.

A few doors down, 79-year-old Mattie Latiker helped grandson Anthony pull weeds and plant flowers.

“Because I want it to look nice in the neighborhood,” she said, “I want the yard to look good.”

Anthony and his wife Tokia bought their home two years ago. They welcomed their daughter, Amoura, four months ago. Now, with three children to raise and protect, they welcome the new emphasis on fighting blight.

”I think it was overdue,” said Tokia, “We’re very appreciative of the measures that they’re taking to clean up the street.”

The next stop for Inspector Middlebrooks was a home destroyed by fire five months ago.

Code enforcement already cited the owner in March, but he’s elderly and unable to make repairs.

Concerned neighbors quickly came outside to ask Public Works Director Robert Knecht, the man in charge of the code enforcement division, how long it’s going to take to condemn the property and tear it down.

“I’m so thankful to see code enforcement stepping in and helping keep our neighborhoods clean and bright,” said Shelley Arnsman, “because this has been an eyesore for years, especially as it’s crumbled apart.”

Operation Code Zero is a holistic approach to crime-fighting. Memphis Police sweep each precinct, arresting fugitives and lawbreakers, and confiscating weapons and drugs.

Code Enforcement saturation follows, and the inspectors are out there grinding every day at a pace not seen before.

“This is our first time doing it,” said Knecht, “We’re seeing some really, good outcomes. We’re being more proactive than we’ve ever been, so that’s really what I think we’re trying to accomplish.”

It’s quite a challenge—in the last decade, Knecht said there’s been a 12% increase in single-family homes in Memphis owned by out-of-state investors.

Investor-owned properties generate three times the number of code violations compared to owner-occupied properties.

Homeowners on Princeton watching the code inspectors post notice after notice on the eyesores on their street, applaud the city’s effort.

“Because that makes you love your neighborhood,” said Anthony Latiker, “it makes you want to have more pride about your city and take care of your street.

I like the initiative they’re doing right now.”  The City of Memphis Solid Waste division created strike teams as part of Operation Code Zero.

They work closely with code enforcement, targeting dump sites and piles of garbage in neighborhoods.

 

One Community Update
May 22, 2024

Source: www.kctv5.com

Illegal dumping, it’s not a pretty sight and has been a persistent annoyance for many neighborhoods in Kansas City, for generations.

From mattresses and bed frames to piles of tires and trash, these are just some of the items KCTV5 found illegally dumped.

City council members are trying to crack down on the issue with new legislation aimed at tougher penalties and more surveillance.

KCMO council members Crispin Rea, Melissa Patterson Hazley and Melissa Robinson all brought forth proposals to address the issue.

Those include:

Increasing the fines for people who dump trash on vacant lots, unimproved areas, and Land Bank properties to $500 and $750 for repeated offenders.

Residents can request an unlimited number of free, curbside pick-ups for bulky items.

Organize an event for residents to drop-off trash in dumpsters.

Legislators said they’ve also hired five additional investigators this year, last year they only had one.

“We have seen around 200 cases actually reference to the municipal prosecutor’s office, which is more than what you expect,” said Rea. Rea said with the new proposals and additional surveillance he’s hopeful the city will have cleaner neighborhoods.

“We are taking a very comprehensive approach. there is improvement in every step of the system along the way from the abatement to the investigation to the penalty phase and beyond.”

“Yeah, it’s a reoccurring issue,” said Alana Henry, the Executive director for Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council. Henry works with the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council and said the area is flooded with trash, especially down Woodland Ave. She hopes the city looks at the difficulties navigating trash pickup. “If a trash crew comes through and they don’t pick up all the trash that has been set up on the curb, then what often happens, is the homeowner then finds an alternative location to put that residential trash,” said Henry.

Henry said she doesn’t think there is just one answer, but rather a multitude of answers.

“I think equipping neighborhoods with financial support to address the problem is a great place to start, actual prosecution of folks who are caught dumping illegally and making the process easier for average citizens to dispose of their household trash,” said Henry.