Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski today announced the formation of a Code Enforcement Improvement Work Group to engage in a stakeholder-driven process to identify improvements to the County’s code enforcement program in order to better serve County residents.
“Baltimore County code enforcement has immense potential to significantly improve resident’s day-to-day quality of life,” Olszewski said. “Over the course of my first year in office, residents have consistently told us that they want to see more proactive and responsive code enforcement. This group will convene community voices from across our County to serve as partners in our efforts to improve customer service and better meet the needs of all residents.”
Baltimore County Code Enforcement is charged with investigating code and zoning complaints and identifying violations of the Baltimore County Code, International Residential Code, and the Life Safety Code. Baltimore County’s 25 inspectors respond to over 18,000 code complaints each year.
According to a press release:
Members
Chaired by Mike Mallinoff, Director of the Baltimore County Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections—which oversees the County’s code enforcement efforts—and co-chaired by Councilman Izzy Patoka, the work group will consist of community representatives from each council district:
- District 1—Valerie Schwaab
- District 2—Airuel Aingletary
- District 3—Eric Rockel
- District 4—Vivian Paysour
- District 5—Greg Bauer
- District 6—Caitlin Klimm-Kellner
- District 7—Cliff O’Connell
Aspects of Reform
The work group will be tasked with examining the following four areas of code enforcement, as well any additional aspects of code enforcement identified for reform:
- Resource Allocation—Analyzing levels of department resources and staffing levels needed to deliver the level of service demanded by residents and the County Executive.
- Response Timeline—Identifying best practice timelines for individual types of service requests.
- Administrative Hearing Transparency—Ensuring that the code enforcement administrative hearing process is accessible and transparent to the public.
- Vacant Properties and Blight Elimination—Identifying best practices or policies around vacant properties to most effectively eliminate blight in communities.
The Code Enforcement Improvement Work Group will host their first meeting on Wednesday, February 19, at 6 p.m. in the Baltimore County Historic Courthouse, Room 118. Meeting minutes will be recorded from each listening session. Additional meeting information will be available on the Work Group’s web page. Within 30 days of the last meeting, the Work Group will issue a final report with recommendations.
Read the full press release for more information.