A new nuisance enforcement officer is on the job at the Howard County Recycling District and is already fielding calls from county residents fed up with the junkpiles next door.
The new position, approved by both the city and county councils, comes with a price tag, however.
Tuesday, the recycling district board approved a budget increase of almost 30 percent, including the salary, benefits and enforcement budget for the new position.
In addition to approving the new enforcement position, both councils also signed off on a new nuisance ordinance, which applies countywide.
Former Howard County Health Department employee Michelle Gilbert is the new enforcement officer, and Tuesday, board members had an initial discussion both of problem properties in the area, as well as the need to formulate policies for dealing with those properties.
Gilbert and board attorney Brian Oaks plan to formulate a legal notification procedure for property owners in possible violation of the county’s nuisance ordinance.
The recycling district board must approve that procedure — as well as a fine schedule — before any properties can be addressed.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Gilbert hasn’t been warning property owners that enforcement actions are coming down the pike.
She’s already sent letters to 15 property owners, giving them each between 10 and 30 days to have their properties cleaned up. The usual items — debris, weeds, rubbish and abandoned vehicles — are drawing complaints from neighbors.
Gilbert, who started Aug. 25, has also been out inspecting properties.
She received referrals to 26 properties from the county health department and the Kokomo-Howard County Plan Commission, and several more complaints from the public since starting her job.
“I’ve gotten five illegal dumping complaints [from the public] since I was hired, including one close to the Wildcat Creek,” Gilbert said.
Surprisingly, at least to Gilbert, one particular property was cleaned up shortly after the owner received a letter from Gilbert.
“[Other agencies] sent multiple letters before,” Gilbert said. “Maybe there’s some magic in that new [nuisance] ordinance.”
Gilbert will have an enforcement/cleanup budget of $80,000, along with promised help from the Howard County Sheriff Department’s inmate work crew.
She will work with the city of Kokomo’s building inspection department, as well as local authorities in Greentown and Russiaville.
But Tuesday’s budget approval marked the first time in Howard County history that a formal process has been approved to address nuisance properties outside Kokomo city limits.
In addition to the approval of the enforcement budget, the district board also approved a $70,000 increase in the district’s recycling budget, and an additional $60,000 for existing programs, including environmental education.
With district director Marla Vechey set to step down in November, the district board is also seeking a new director, and Tuesday, board members set the starting salary for the new director at $48,000.
That’s a $4,000 decrease from what Vechey was making, and $7,000 less than what she submitted in her initial budget request. Board members also expect to save somewhere around $17,000 annually by switching the district’s four full-time employees from the city’s health insurance plan to the county’s.
Scott Smith may be reached at (765) 454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com
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