PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is working through its multi-year backlog of code enforcement cases after bolstering its code enforcement program during the past year.
Clallam County commissioners heard from code enforcement staff Monday that by using new strategies — such as obtaining a warrant of abatement through Clallam County Superior Court or taking code enforcement cases before the hearing examiner — they have been able to make progress on cases that previously had been difficult or impossible.
“Word is out that code enforcement is out,” said Rich Meyer, enforcement officer.
“People are starting to clean up their properties before we actually contact them.”
Code enforcement starts by seeking voluntary compliance, but code enforcement officers now have more tools for when property owners are unable or unwilling to clean up on their own.
Meyer and Lindsey Aspelund, program administrator, told commissioners the county had obtained a warrant of abatement for a property on McDonnell Creek Road near Sequim, which was enough for the property owner to begin cleaning the property on his own — with help from family.
The property had several recreational vehicles, was littered in trash, and had many people living there. Code enforcement efforts had been unsuccessful until the courts got involved.
“This was the whole ball of wax,” Meyer said.
The county has posted signs around the property that says it is being monitored and because the injunction is set for 10 years, the county has the ability to take action if there are more violations.
Code enforcement also led to the cleanup of a property on East Pioneer Road. The property had been littered in solid waste for several years.
Aspelund said the owner didn’t have the means to continue the cleanup and the property was sold.
“The sale closed last Thursday,” Aspelund said. “The next day the owner was out with equipment cleaning it up.”
The county has closed 596 of the 901 cases it has seen since 2015 and code enforcement has been taking on more cases each year. Meyer said 196 cases have been closed since May of 2018 and that 140,000 pounds of solid waste have been disposed of.
Some of the most difficult cases stem from more than one issue. In many cases there are drug use, mental health and financial issues involved.
The county has increased the staffing levels of code enforcement over the past year also. The county now funds three 20-hour-per-week code enforcement officers and a full time administrative specialist.
Until recently, Barb McFall was the only code enforcement officer for the program.
“It’s so exciting that things are really happening now,” said Mary Ellen Winborn, the newly re-elected Director of the Department of Community Development. “Everybody — thank goodness — has realized that this is important.”
The county has a $30,000 abatement fund that is used to help with cleanups when appropriate.
This year the county has started taking cases before the hearing examiner. Of the 15 cases the hearing examiner has heard, 12 were decided in favor of the county.
Each month the hearing examiner hears code enforcement cases. When the alleged violators appear at the hearing — which happens about half of the time — the hearing examiner hears both sides of the case and decides whether to issue a fine or work out a contract to remedy the violations.
Winborn said when violators do not show up the hearing examiner often follows the county’s recommended fines.
Winborn said that while there had been code enforcement in the past, this is the first time in many years that codes have truly been enforced.
“I’m just really happy we’re moving forward with it,” she said. “It’s gong to make this place an even more desirable place to live.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
Until recently the property at 2337 E. Pioneer Road had been covered in garbage. The property was sold to a new owner after Clallam County code enforcement got involved. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)
Garbage is piled against a home at 2337 E. Pioneer Road on Aug. 8, 2017. The property was recently cleaned after Clallam County’s code enforcement program got involved and the property was sold to a new owner. (Clallam County)
