Expanding authority of bylaw officer on agenda for Charlottetown committee
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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Charlottetown’s bylaw officer could quickly have extra authority to order cleanups at properties that violate town’s Harmful, Hazardous and Ugly Premises bylaw.
In the course of the April 11 council assembly, Coun. Bob Doiron questioned the often-lengthy course of for ordering a property cleanup, which might generally take weeks or months.
As an alternative of going by means of the bureaucratic strategy of committee and council approval, Doiron requested whether it is potential to have the bylaw officer order a cleanup in a extra environment friendly manner.
“Our bylaw officer is a sworn police officer. So, you already know, what he sees as proper or improper, we’ll need to go together with his discretion. He’s an expert in his job, and he does it very nicely. So, something we will do to offer him extra energy and get these items cleaned up can be nice.”
That’s the plan.
The merchandise is on the agenda for the subsequent protecting and emergency companies committee assembly on April 25.
“I had discussions with the police chief, and he had them with our new CAO. And what we’re making an attempt to do is to have the ability again within the bylaw officer, so it doesn’t have to come back to council,” stated Coun. Kevin Ramsay, chair of the committee.
Such a change may enable the officer to authorize the general public works division to enter a property, after issuing a sequence of warnings.
“He has all of the addresses of people who personal properties, even when they don’t reside right here.”
“Our bylaw officer is a sworn police officer. So, you already know, what he sees as proper or improper, we’ll need to go together with his discretion. He’s an expert in his job, and he does it very nicely. So, something we will do to offer him extra energy and get these items cleaned up can be nice.” – Coun. Bob Doiron
The method
Proper now, defined Doiron, the method for unpleasant property cleanup can take six or eight weeks and requires approval from the emergency and protecting companies committee. The cleanup order then goes to town council as a decision at a month-to-month assembly. There have been 4 such cleanups ordered on the April 11 assembly.
Charlottetown Police Chief Brad MacConnell, who attended the April 11 assembly to reply questions, agreed the method causes delays.
“We’re very supportive of looking for some efficiencies in that and empowering the bylaw (officer), because the councilor stated, to do his job and take a number of the forms out of it.”
Logan MacLean is a municipal reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He might be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @loganmaclean94.
