Elgin moves code compliance responsibility to new department

Code compliance in the city Elgin - always a hot topic among residents and officials - has shifted under the umbrella of a new department of neighborhood services headed by Colby Basham.

Basham was 311 citizen services director, and the new department will include 311, rental licensing, public health, and parking and traffic issues. "Consolidating these services into a unified department focused on neighborhood concerns will better ensure timely and effective city action," City Manager Rick Kozal said in a news release.

Kozal declined to answer questions directly and referred to city spokeswoman Molly Center.

Basham will keep his current $136,254 salary, and there will be no new hires as a result of the change, Center said.

Code compliance, rental licensing and the public health division, which inspects food services, restaurants and the like, were part of the community development department headed by Marc Mylott.

The reorganization is "an attempt to more equitably disperse the work volume," Basham said.

"It's just an opportunity to capitalize on some efficiencies," he said. "The whole idea is to improve customer service and to bring more aspects of customer service under one umbrella."

The code division includes five compliance inspectors, two rental property inspectors, and two seasonal weed and tall grass inspectors, he said.

Basham said he plans to review all code business practices, and will attend neighborhood and homeowners association meetings for feedback. He pointed to tools, such as mapping software, that can be used to more efficiently deploy the city's resources.

The community development department was spread too thin, especially as it related to the code division, Mylott said.

"I didn't have the time to dedicate to it that it truly needed," he said. "This is an opportunity to put it in a location where it can get that full attention."

For example, his staff can now focus on moving forward the city's comprehensive plan, Mylott said. The process began in late 2013.

The community development department also deals with planning and zoning, building, inspections, historical preservation and grants.

Meanwhile, a "code compliance academy" that the city announced last year it would offer residents is still up in the air.

The city did solicit feedback from residents about code issues at a meeting in November and via an online survey in December.