City Government
We Deserve Better
July 5, 2005 
In what has become classic Boise spin of the local media, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter’s press machine manipulated a new reporter at the STATESMAN into writing an obfuscation of the truth. (For you non-library users that means “clouding”.)
While she accurately reported what she was told, the reporter’s story missed the point.
She reported that people complain about junk cars and weeds so Bieter is trying to respond to their “concerns” by adding a new code enforcement officer in his new budget proposal to the council. Nice attitude.
However the facts in the story paint an entirely different picture. Truth is:
–A resident complainer declares the code enforcement has been under staffed for 8 years and they need to double the number of inspectors. From 5 to 10.
–The inspectors themselves say the caseload is “overwhelming to a certain extent…” and a 25% increase in manpower in 2004 did nothing to cut the workload.
–Each inspector works 500 complaints a year (that works out to fewer than 3 calls per work day). Wanna bet cops handle more calls?
–Two code officers say they issue more citations because “they don’t have time” to check for compliance.
–Overall message is: unless you piss off an angry neighbor you probably won’t get caught for a violation because the enforcement process is “complaint driven.”
Not a sentence about costs for salary, office space, or vehicles for the code enforcement dudes. The STATESMAN calls the story a “Closer Look”, mentions a budget proposal, invites the public to testify, but fails to tell readers how much all this will COST! How can you write a budget story and not include the cost of what you are proposing?
If the GUARDIAN’s experience is any indication, you may just want to talk to your neighbors in person if they have a mess or the shrubs and weeds need trimming.
We called the Code Enforcement number listed in the phone book and got a recorded voice of “Cathy” the assistant to the code enforcement officers.
Hung up and called the main number at the Planning Department and asked for Mr. Chatterton the director. The friendly, polite girl on the phone confessed it was her second day on the job and the Chatterton name was familiar, but she wasn’t sure who he is. She connected me to…yet another recording, this time it is Chatteron’s secretary.
Hung up again and called the building permit number. They hooked me up to Chatterton’s direct line and I got HIS voice mail recorded voice. Left a message and repeated my number two times. He never called back.
Of course if we just talk to our neighbors about problems in a friendly manner, things can usually get worked out. Ironically, the worst violators of the weed ordinance are the Ada County Highway District and the City of Boise!! Next time you are out cruising on $2.29 a gallon gas, check out how many patches of unsightly weeds over 12 inches high are on public property.
Ed note: Chatterton returned the call next day and it appears he is considering a closer supervised code enforcement policy with a “sergeant” assigning staffers according to expertise. He came from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (smaller than Boise) where he said they had five times the number of code enforcement people to do the most “thankless task in local government.”
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Jul 6, 2005, 4:58 pm
What could you be thinking about talking to the neighbors? I am a 69 year old woman and if you think I am going to go to a druggie in the neighborhood and tell them to clean up their mess you have another think coming. I have called the city and they did come out and clean up some messes but then more pop up and there is one down the street right now that is a mess and I will call them again.
Jul 8, 2005, 1:05 pm
Hey that looks like MY house or the one next door to me and the one next door to that one and the one…well, you get the picture. I’m off to dig out my “cookie cutters” and make cookies to feed to the foul mouthed contruction workers building the house behind mine on what once was farm land (much like the land my house is plopped on). I can’t wait to meet my neighbors when they finally move into the $360,000 house with a 2 ft. backyard. When will this stop?
Jul 8, 2005, 4:22 pm
I have been aggravated by the code “enforcement” people many a time. They don’t have enough enforcers. Then there is the next-door druggie who raises poison hemlock as her main contribution to back yard beauty. This is officially deemed a noxious weed. It hangs over my fence. The seeds come up in my yard. The Idaho noxious weed people are also unresponsive. They don’t seem to give a hoot what weeds are infesting in town, only out of town, yet they spend a lot of dough on TV ads asking you to contact them! They don’t return phone calls OR emails. What a joke.