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City Council Minutes <br />April 3, 2017 <br />Chief Cunningham presented the staff report. <br />Page 7 <br />Mayor discussed further the issue of one concerned homeowner whom he told he <br />would bring this item forward for Council discussion. <br />Councilmember Wagner expressed concerns with the city dictating how someone's <br />house should look and the amount of staff time involved with implementing more <br />stringent policy. She suggested leading by example. <br />Councilmember Ovall concurred. He stated you can't legislate prosperity, this is a <br />cultural matter. He stated the city should be utilizing its plans (comprehensive, etc.). <br />He stated this issue reinforces exploring some Housing and Redevelopment <br />Authority initiatives further. <br />Councilmember Westgaard concurred. <br />Councilmember Olsen expressed concerns with allowing chickens (a future <br />ordinance amendment currently under review) and rental properties, which could <br />create more code enforcement concerns. <br />Council consensus is to leave the current ordinance as it stands. <br />10.3 Building Permit Process <br />Chief Cunningham presented the staff report. <br />Mr. Ruprecht discussed the building process. He stated if someone calls about <br />current activity at a location, staff will act on the complaint by visiting the site. He <br />stated it is difficult to act on a past permit violation without any other evidence other <br />than a complaint. He stated if a homeowner complains about a contractor who did <br />work incorrectly, and the contractor didn't pull a permit, staff will track down the <br />contractor. He stated code violations are a misdemeanor. He stated he discussed the <br />matter with the State and they typically go after the contractor and not a homeowner. <br />He noted there is a fine line of when you can act on an issue or complaint without <br />evidence. <br />Council noted it can be difficult to determine if a building permit is needed if the city <br />doesn't know what specifically is happening. <br />Mr. Portner stated a building permit fee is based on the work being completed but <br />the city doesn't know the work or who the responsible party would be in this <br />situation. <br />Mr. Ruprecht noted the property owner has a history of pulling permits. <br />Chief Cunningham stated the city would be required to show a burden of proof to <br />get authorization from a judge to access the home. <br />vareeto er <br />Ifr1ATUR� <br />