Friday, Sept. 30, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | More citizen input sought for code violationsBy JOHN MUNFORD Two recent code enforcement cases in Peachtree City involved filthy living conditions in houses where children lived, and graphic pictures of the cases were shown to the citys Comprehensive Plan Committee Monday night. The department was called in to investigate one of the cases after local child protective officials came onto the scene, senior code enforcement officer Tami Babb told the committee. But in the other case, involving a house on Doubletrace Lane, it was a code enforcement action that went to court which exposed the filthy living conditions on the inside. After the Doubletrace case went to court, Municipal Judge Stephen Ott ordered the case to be forwarded to the Department of Family and Children Services because of the beer cans and diapers that were found in the lawn of the home, Babb said. Ultimately, five children were removed from that home for safety reasons by DFCS officials, Babb noted. Neither of the two cases were sparked from a neighbors complaint, which is sort of troubling, Babb said. Several neighbors living near the Doubletrace home contacted Babb and said they wish they had said something sooner after news broke of the situation there, she said. Babb encourages city residents to report code violations such as trash in lawns and other nuisances to the citys code enforcement problem so the situation can be corrected. Many times, the problem can be corrected before it gets to court. The court is kind of our last resort, Babb said. We just want to get it done. A large number of the citizen-reported violations deal with angry tenants complaining about rental properties, Babb said. Committee members discussed the possibility of placing restrictions on rental properties and compiling a list of rental units in the city. Babb also spoke about the citys housing rehabilitation program, which is aimed at working with residents to get their homes repaired and up to city codes. Businesses such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot have gotten involved with providing supplies for those efforts, she added. Were trying to be proactive about these things, Babb added. |
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