Fall 2007 Proactive Bylaw Enforcement Strategy - Ainslie Wood-Westdale Area
Published: September 02, 2007
As of this week, all tenants and property owners who received warnings, tickets, fee for service charges, or had a contractor clean up their property during the September 2006 and April 2007 proactive enforcement periods, will have received a letter reminding them of City bylaws and advising them of this year's proactive enforcement strategy. All properties listed on the Police "problem house list" will also receive a letter.
Beginning September 1, 2007, Hamilton Police Services and the City of Hamilton Parking and By-law Services Division will begin delivering a proactive bylaw enforcement strategy targeted at noise, parking, and property standards bylaw infractions.
Police and Bylaw will be working very closely together, undertaking night shifts in the same vehicle when noise issues are at their most severe. For the first incident, residents in violation of the noise by-law may be given a warning or a ticket depending on the circumstances. A ticket shall be issued for a second offense and for each subsequent visit, in addition to fees for service of $220 and $110. Officers will also be keeping track via a live computerized tracking system in their squad cars.
During the day, bylaw officers will be patrolling the neighbourhood for parking and property standards violations, immediately issuing "7 day - order to comply" notices. If no cleanup action has taken place, a contractor will be called on the eighth day to complete the work with fees added to property taxes. In addition, property owners will receive a "fee for service" charge on their property taxes when bylaw officers respond to a second violation at the same address. In all cases, when infractions occur, City staff will contact the tenants and the property owners the next day, advising them of the action taken by the City/Police, and seeking compliance and their intervention to ensure that noise issues don't linger.
From my perspective as the Ward Councillor, this is the best organized proactive enforcement strategy in my four years here and I thank City staff and Hamilton Police Services for assembling the plan. I will be providing weekly updates to everyone on our Ainslie Wood - Westdale email list. To be added to our list, please send an email to daabrown@hamilton.ca and indicate that you live in the Ainslie Wood Westdale neighbourhood.
We will evaluate this strategy in October to measure our progress from the perspective of both citizens and students; working together, we can forge an inclusive, strong community.
Author: Brian McHattie