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'Code enforcement academy' in the works in Elgin

Tired of seeing broken fences, crumbling front steps and lawns strewed with equipment in your neighborhood? Wondering what the city of Elgin is doing about it and whether you can help?

The answer might be a new "code enforcement academy" the city will offer to residents sometime in the next three to six months, Community Development Director Marc Mylott said.

Anyone can notify the city of code violations in their neighborhoods, but often people have questions about what qualifies and what the corrective process is like, Mylott said.

The new academy - likely a three- to four-hour class offered twice a year - will help inform residents, who in turn can help keep an eye on problems, he said.

"We will be educating citizens on our process - what codes we use, how long things can take, what are our goals, always emphasizing that our goal is compliance" and not punishment, he said.

The city also will be looking into partnering with social service agencies, church groups and even businesses who want to contribute community service hours to help residents correct code violations and improve their properties, Mylott said.

Local businesses such as hardware and paint stores will have a chance to partner by providing discounts to customers in exchange for referrals from the city, he said.

The initiative kicked into gear after a resident sent Councilman Terry Gavin photos of abundant code violations in her neighborhood just east of downtown.

Gavin said he will talk to fellow council members at a special meeting Saturday about going a step further and creating neighborhood watch groups devoted to code enforcement. He pointed to the "broken windows" theory, famously endorsed by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, that states cracking down on minor crime results in safer cities.

"Working with citizens we can increase property values and reduce crime by going after serious code violations," he said.

Gavin said he's been talking with residents, including those in the Blackhawk, Eagle Heights and Oakwood subdivisions, who have endorsed the idea. "Complaints about code - it's nonstop," he said.

He also emphasized this is not solely about going after issues like overcrowding but focusing on owners and landlords who neglect their properties.

"The policy decision (by the city council) will be, 'How far can we involve our citizens?' " he said. "That's where the rubber will hit the road."

Resident Jana Frolich, who contacted Gavin last month, said she'd love to be part of a new neighborhood code watch group. Improving neighborhoods will make them safer and eventually lower the crime rate, she said.

"Our code department cannot be expected to be everywhere, so it is crucial that citizens be a part of the solution by actively participating," she said. "When we clean up our neighborhoods and hold both landlords and homeowners responsible, we will attract a more invested buyer. Investment builds pride, pride builds community and community builds safety."

The city already offers assistance to low-income residents who need to paint their homes and bring down their chain link fences, Mylott said.

"Our mission is to get compliance," he said. "We are not about being a moneymaker and hitting people over the head with a hammer, whether that be citations or what have you."

  Front steps must be maintained so they don't constitute a hazard, according to Elgin city code. These steps of a home east of downtown are in violation of that rule, city officials said. Elena Ferrarin/eferrarin@dailyherald.com
  Lawn mowers must be kept in enclosed structures, unlike this one in the backyard of a home of Hill Avenue in Elgin. Elena Ferrarin/eferrarin@dailyherald.com
  Rotten wood in the door and siding of this Elgin home is a code violation, city officials said. Elena Ferrarin/eferrarin@dailyherald.com
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