City rolls out aggressive bylaw crackdown
Nicole Macintyre
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 14, 2008)
Quick, cut your grass and turn down the stereo -- Hamilton's bylaw police are coming.
The city is unveiling a new approach to bylaw enforcement that promises to be more proactive and aggressive in cracking down on scofflaws.
"We mean business," said Marty Hazell, director of bylaw services. "We're going to get efficient in enforcing our bylaws."
With council's support, the city served layoff notices to its two dozen bylaw officers yesterday. They will have to reapply for a spot on the licensing department's new targeted teams -- including a special enforcement crew sporting bulletproof vests.
"It's a complete overhaul," said Tim McCabe, the general manager of planning and economic development.
The reorganization comes nearly two years after an operational review found severe mismanagement, lack of enforcement and poor communication in the department. The scathing review, coupled with a harassment scandal, led to removal of the management team.
"It was a mess," acknowledges McCabe. "People were doing whatever they wanted."
Hamilton is one of only two large cities left in Ontario with generalist bylaw officers who swing from complicated zoning issues to minor noise disputes. Until now, they've spent their days "chasing complaints" with no focus on proactive enforcement, said Hazell. He plans for that to change immediately.
The specialized teams, with six to seven officers, will be trained in one of four specific bylaw areas. They'll also be uniformed and drive marked vehicles to give them more authority. Currently, officers respond in plain clothes.
Hazell said council will also be prioritizing response times for bylaw complaints. Plus, there will be strict guidelines when it comes to fines, instead of the current system that gives officers more discretion.
"There's cases when we've responded 10, 20, 30 times to the same property," said Hazell, noting the city plans to ramp up enforcement for repeat offenders.
For example, the city recently sent letters to chronic offenders of the city's grass-cutting bylaw to warn them of a new zero-tolerance policy. If a bylaw officer responds to a property this summer and finds a violation, the homeowners will have a $220 fee immediately added to their tax bill.
The city expects all the current bylaw officers will keep their jobs. Hazell said an employee would only take the layoff notice if they don't like their team placement. As union members, they would then be able to bump others.
Derron Vernon, president of CUPE 5167, called the city's handling of the reorganization "disturbing."
"We've been left out of the loop," he said, noting many employees are scared to be reapplying for their jobs. "There's a lot of questions."
The city plans to have the new teams up and running in six weeks.
Four enforcement teams
Restructuring of Hamilton's bylaw enforcement division will create four teams of specialists.
Environmental
Responsibilities include: Pesticides, illegal dumping, snow clearing, dog feces, pigeons, lawn watering
Uniform: Shirt with logo, pants, jacket
Hours: Days, Monday-Friday
Licensing & permits
Responsibilities include: Lotteries, taxis, signs, residential care
Uniform: Shirt with logo, pants, jacket
Hours: Days, Monday-Friday
Property standards
Responsibilities include: Graffiti, zoning, all property standards infractions under Ontario Building Code and city bylaws
Uniform: Shirt with logo, pants, jacket
Hours: Days, Monday-Friday
Special enforcement
Responsibilities include: Noise, vital services, after-hours parking tickets, taxi inspection, adult entertainment, special events
Uniform: Military, protective vests
Hours: Seven days a week, typically 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
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