Volunteer zoning bureaucrats in Salem?

[FTL_Ian]

Saw this on the FSP forum:



Volunteers may help code enforcement

By Jason B. Grosky
Staff writer

SALEM -- Town officials are seeking a way to get tougher about code enforcement, saying too many people are breaking zoning laws without fear of consequence.

"It's a bigger problem in town than people realize," Planning Board Chairman Adam C. Webster said. "You could drive down any street and literally, every 100 or 1,000 feet, find some type of zoning regulation."

The problem, said Webster and others, is that Salem does not have enough building officials to crack down on violators.

Unlike Massachusetts, New Hampshire law does not provide for citations allowing a person to be fined on a daily basis for breaking the rules. To pursue a violator, the town must take the person to court, a process that costs money plus the time of a building official.

To deal with the problem, selectmen and planning officials are talking about seeking volunteer code enforcement officers, perhaps retirees who are familiar with the building industry and could be taught code enforcement and zoning regulations.

"A lot of the violations are so blatant that, with a little training, they are so easy to spot," Webster said. "We always have people who are willing to help out in the community."

The volunteers could help the department in other ways to free up chief building official Samuel A. Zannini, who is the main code enforcement officer. But his work regularly overlaps with three other building officials.

A study done by Community Development Director William J. Scott last year found the four-person department puts just three hours a week -- or 2 percent of their 150-hour weekly work time -- toward enforcing town restrictions and dealing with emergencies.

Town Manager Henry E. LaBranche lost a bid to create a $60,000-a-year job for the office this year. That move, according to the study, would have freed up Zannini and the department to spend 30 hours a week on code enforcement issues.

Of the code enforcement issues Salem deals with, "99 percent" start with complaints made to the building office, Selectmen Chairman Richard R. Gregory said.

"Our enforcement involves people ratting each other out," Selectman Michael J. Lyons said. "We shouldn't have to rely on that. We shouldn't have to put residents in that precarious position."

Complaints are common from neighbors who are tired of seeing violations next door.

"When you ride around town, you see places that look like junkyards in people's neighborhoods," Gregory said. "People are frustrated."

New Hampshire code enforcement regulations stress compliance rather than punishment, Gregory said.

"You can't just write a ticket," he said. "And then when you go to court, the court is going to simply ask you, 'What have you done to get this in compliance.' It takes a long period of time. And it doesn't make sense to have people jump through all of these hoops with the Planning Board and building permits to have no follow-through."

Gregory said he is uncertain the town can find volunteers, but it's worth trying. He said he still would like to create a new building office job to free up Zannini's time.

Webster said code violations are easy to find in town -- for example, the general store that operates a used car dealership in a residential neighborhood.

The town has asked the owner many times in the last 18 months to close the car sale business, as it's not allowed under zoning, Webster said. The town even asked the state to revoke his license, Webster said. Still, cars continue to be sold.

Short of taking the man to court, the town is somewhat helpless.

The town must find a way to step up enforcement, Webster said. That's needed to send a message and make violations start to disappear, he said.

"When word gets around, people will fix their problems," he said.

[AlanM]

Looking for snitches, huh? It could backfire on them. Maybe there are enough folks who don't want zoning at all. 

[Lloyd Danforth]

John from Salem could volunteer and just not find any violations.
Even better, he would only find violations at the homes of city, state bureaucrats and employees!

[FTL_Ian]

I like that idea, Lloyd.   

[mvpel]

"A lot of the violations are so blatant that, with a little training, they are so easy to spot," Webster said. "We always have people who are willing to help out in the community."

If they're "so blatant," why does it take any training at all to spot them, I wonder?

[Russell Kanning]

Unlike Massachusetts, New Hampshire law does not...

Is this the state bureaucratic motto?

The volunteers could help the department in other ways to free up chief building official Samuel A. Zannini, who is the main code enforcement officer.

Did somebody already tie him to a tree and not take credit for it.

...the four-person department puts just three hours a week -- or 2 percent of their 150-hour weekly work time -- toward enforcing town restrictions and dealing with emergencies.

The rest of the time is spend discussing the virtues of Dunkin Donuts compared to the competition......"emergencies"?!? code enforcement emergencies?

I have started to enjoy seeing junk in peoples yards....it looks like freedom

[FTL_Ian]

Good fences make good neighbors... my neighbor has shitty old minivans in his yard, my yard is beautiful.  To each his own.

The cool thing is, after I put some $ into my yard the other neighbors started improving theirs.  It's nice to be a trendsetter.

[Kat Kanning]

What, no photos?

[FTL_Ian]

It needs some trim.. not ready to show off

[tracysaboe]

To pursue a violator, the town must take the person to court, a process that costs money plus the time of a building official.

So in New Hampshire that at least have Due Process for these sorts of things?  That's good, I suppose.

Jump on this. Abolish the Zoning laws, and let people decide for themselves how to organizae themselves.

Tracy

[KBCraig]

It needs some trim..

Me too. 

Kevin

[Pat K]

It needs some trim..

Me too.?

Kevin

I was gonna make a comment about trim too, decided to behave. Glad to see it come out anyway

[John]

Looking for snitches, huh? It could backfire on them.?

[John]

NHfree in Salem?