The City of Tyler PACE (Pro-Active Code Enforcement) Program was formally launched in January 2008. In the first six months of the program, more than 3,000 potential violations have been investigated by code officers; the majority of the actual violations identified were high vegetation and weeds as well as junk vehicles.
The focus of the PACE program is to educate the community about code violations and to give residents an opportunity to bring their property into compliance. The program is showing early signs of success. Of the 3,000 initial inspections, only 42 resulted in the issuance of a citation. The majority of residents have responded to the initial communication and resolved the violation.
“We want to make citizens aware of what the code violations are so the issues can be addressed before the department starts heavily enforcing the rules,” Council Member Donald Sanders said.
The top five violations investigated include:
- High vegetation and weeds (1161) - All uncultivated vegetation 18 inches or higher, including grass and brush.
- Junk vehicles (669) – A vehicle is considered a junk vehicle if it does not have a current vehicle registration sticker and a current vehicle inspection sticker, and
- it is wrecked, dismantled or partially dismantled, or discarded; or,
- it is inoperable on public property for 72 consecutive hours; or,
- it is inoperable on private property for 30 days.
- Trash and junk on property (407) – All trash rubbish and abandoned materials must be removed from property, disposed of, or stored.
- Trees/fallen limbs (231)
- Furniture (101)
The PACE program is an outcome of the Tyler 21 planning process. Overwhelming feedback from the community indicated a desire for neighborhoods to be cleaned up and for City codes to be enforced. As a result, in 2007 the City Council approved funding to establish a Code Enforcement Department and to hire four additional enforcement officers.
In a cost-effective approach to proactively identify code violations, a Code Enforcement Task Force comprised of 26 City employees, such as City marshals and Parks employees, was formed. This team is trained to document possible infractions they observe. These violations are then reported to the code officers who investigate the complaint.
“The Task Force is the eyes and ears of the Code Enforcement Department,” said Dan Brotton, key leader of the Code Enforcement Department. “This is a very cost-effective way to cover the entire City.”
The Department is also looking for citizens involved in neighborhood associations, churches and community groups who are interested in joining the Code Rangers. The Code Rangers will receive training on the City code and will report possible violations to the officer assigned to their area.
“Empowering the citizens to help address these code violation issues will not only clean up our community, but build community pride,” Council Member Ralph Caraway said.
For more information, please call Code Enforcement at (903) 531-1312.