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Post-Standard,
The (Syracuse, NY) October 16, 2003
COMPLAINTS ABOUT OFFENDING PROPERTIES COME MOSTLY FROM ONE PERSON. Sara Errington Staff writer SPAFFORD The New York
Department of State plans to audit Spafford's code enforcement
program this year.
The audit follows a report issued last winter in which a state code
enforcement official made several recommendations to improve code
enforcement in the town. Scott said his department does two or three audits each year in
towns that receive a lot of complaints.
Spafford's file is one of his thickest, he said, but most
complaints about various messy and dilapidated properties are from one
person.
"This is totally complaint driven," he said of the audit. "There is
nothing about Spafford that we would pick to do an audit if it
wasn't for these complaints," Scott said.
"It's a rural town. Face it, I could go to any rural town and find
these problems," he said.
The risk is that unaddressed complaints can become a liability to
the town, Scott said. That's why it's important to do the audit.
Doug Staley, owner of Life Safety Consultants, the firm that
handles code enforcement for the town, said he did respond to the report,
but that the state department apparently never received it.
"We've sent it three times to them by registered mail," he said.
Staley said that since the report came out, he's ordered a number
of people to fix code violations on their property.
Four cases currently look as if they might be headed to court for
resolution, he said.
Town resident Peter Pirnie, who made many of the complaints,
declined to comment.
Peter Payntor, also a town resident who has complained about
unkempt properties, said he isn't impressed by the town's code enforcement
program.
"The code enforcement officer is not doing his job, and the board
isn't following through," Payntor said.
"It's selective code enforcement in certain respects. Certain
people can get away with murder. Others they watch like a hawk," he said.
Staley called Payntor's belief groundless.
"We don't practice selective enforcement. We're an independent
agency," he said.
After the report came out last winter, the town acted on one of the
recommendations in the report by appointing councilor C.J. Parsons as the
town's code enforcement official. Life Safety Consultants can consult on
codes matters, but official documents must be signed by a municipal
appointee.
Supervisor Gordon Ireland said he asked Staley after the report was
issued to respond to its findings.
"As far as I know they have responded to complaints," Ireland said.
He said the town board doesn't have a problem with the audit and
that the town will pursue legitimate code violations.
"If they just ignore it, well it's got to go to court," he said.
The audit will take about a week and result in a report giving
recommendations on improving the town's code enforcement program.
"This is not a bad thing," Scott said. "This is something that the
town should take seriously, and when we're finished, they should review
our report and take steps."
Copyright, 2003, The
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