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louie
Senior Member
188 Posts |
 Posted - 10/22/2006 : 07:09:23 AM
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Overkill on code control?
Need for 9 hires is challenged
By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff | October 22, 2006
Most city councilors agree with Mayor John Hanlon that Everett needs more workers to help enforce laws on litter, illegal apartments, and other quality-of-life issues, but some are questioning the need for nine new positions.
Hanlon's request for $223,642 to fund the nine new Code Enforcement Division positions was recently approved, 6 to 1, by the Board of Aldermen and, 10 to 4, by the Common Council.
If those positions are filled, it would bring the total number of Code Enforcement employees to 11. Common Councilor Lorraine Bruno of Ward 5 called that ``overkill."
``Eleven people is just too many," said Bruno, who voted against the mayor's request. ``I do not want to abolish code enforcement; it's a very necessary part of keeping the city clean, but it's too many people being added to the payroll to accomplish what three other people did before." Bruno pointed out that the funding request is not even for the full year, but goes only through June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Common Councilor Rosa DiFlorio of Ward 5 said she voted for the request because she wants to expand the scope of code enforcement, although she opposed the number of proposed hires. She said she feared that by voting against the request, she would be perceived as being against code enforcement.
``We already have three building inspectors," DiFlorio said. ``It's not fair to hire 11; it's easy to hire, but hard to fire. . . . I had to say yes to vote on it because I was trapped."
But Hanlon told councilors that budgeting for nine new people did not mean that all those positions would be filled.
Hanlon did not return calls for comment, but budget director Janice Vetrano said that any money that isn't used will revert to the general fund.
This is the first year Code Enforcement, headed by Frank Chiampi Jr., is an independent department within the city budget, with $118,381 for 2 1/2 positions already in place, according to fiscal 2007 budget figures. Chiampi is currently the only person in the department, since the other code enforcement officer left last spring, Vetrano said.
While Code Enforcement positions have already been advertised, Vetrano said it is likely that not all of the 11 will be filled.
She said that Hanlon picked that number, taking into consideration talks he had with councilors, aldermen, and Chiampi, and that it ``wasn't written in stone."
``With any plan, you have to start with a canvas, and that's what happened," Vetrano said. ``We're going to follow Mr. Chiampi's lead. No monies will be expended without approval of the Common Council and the Board of Aldermen."
Positions will be filled in three components: one clerical, some ``flex-hour" (for nights and weekends), and some that would specialize in the enforcement of the city's new ordinance that requires landlords to submit to the inspection of rental units before new tenants move in, Vetrano said.
Ward 4 Common Councilor Joseph F. Hickey, who voted for the request, said he is confident the total number of hires won't go to 11.
He said he can't see the city putting `` 11 people in there all at once. I think it gives them the leeway to run that department as they see fit. The Common Council and the aldermen have been screaming for a while to get code enforcement back because of the conditions of the streets, trash, conditions of apartments, and implementing the inhabitability law."
Ward 6 Alderman Joseph W. McGonagle said the city has serious problems with litter, illegal apartments, and the infrastructure of streets, but added: ``There is nothing that we couldn't have taken care of with what we have. We have three building inspectors, members of the Board of Health, fire, the Police Department, all for 3 square miles."
McGonagle, the lone dissenting vote among the aldermen, said he would like to see Chiampi get more assistance, but not nine new hires.
``This new mayor has hired 34 new people and raised the budget $10 million, with new personnel and salary increases of $2.1 million," McGonagle said.
``I've had it with him," he said. ``If you call other cities and towns, their code enforcements consist of a head code enforcer, and two compliance officers. . . . The city of Everett will be looking for an override at the rate he's going."
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com.
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Code enforcement on the move...NOT
