South Cape to get dedicated code enforcement officer
The South Cape Community Redevelopment Agency and the city of Cape Coral entered into an interlocal agreement Wednesday to provide for one additional code enforcement officer to patrol and cover the CRA.
Cape Coral City Council sits as the CRA governing commission.
The agreement came about after City Manager Mike Ilczyszyn, who acts as the CRA’s executive director, was asked to improve the esthetics in the CRA last year.
“We went about that in a couple different manners — landscaping improvements, adding beautification projects, hired a contractor on the mowing program to cut the exclusion zones around the poles,” he said.
The ability to hire a code enforcement officer to get business owners to do their part was brought forward with a dedicated position out of the CRA office. The code enforcement team did interviews but all the applicants turned the CRA down, citing benefits.
“The employees were looking for full-time benefits as opposed to be a contractual employee in the CRA,” he said, which did not provide pension benefits.
The city attorney was brought in to see if there was a way for the city to hire the employee and CRA to provide a financial mechanism to the city.
“They are city employees, and we have them assigned to the CRA,” Ilczyszyn said. “The city would hire the code enforcement officer, (they would) work 40 hours a week doing the same job. That would clear any of the benefit levels.”
He said with the code enforcement officer being a part of the city, they are required to be in the defined benefit plan, which is a small increase to them.
“It’s nothing worth abandoning. Our goal is having the businesses help us clean up southwest Cape,” Ilczyszyn said.
An experienced code enforcement officer is ready to fill the position. The responsibility is to look after a three-square mile CRA area to provide enhanced services. If the officer takes time off, it will be back filled with another code enforcement officer to fulfill the 40 hours a week obligation.
Ilczyszyn said he will immediately begin working with the code enforcement officer with education right out of the gate for things they would like to see immediately cleaned.
“We can immediately send out flyers and do some direct hits to businesses,” he said to let them know the CRA has a code enforcement officer, and they would like quick things to be addressed because in 30 to 60 days the officer will put them on notice for the violations.
The grounds will be initially addressed, followed by the buildings and facilities.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com