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Sunday, October 1, 2017

Council moves ahead with “rocket docket” for complaints

(Click on the image for Emily Blackner's report in the Sentinel)
  • "On Sept. 20, the county council’s Transportation, Housing and the Environment (THE) committee voted 4-0 on a “favorable with amendments” report of CB-64-2017, which creates a new procedure for administrative hearings on violations of housing and property standards. The bill was drafted at the request of County Executive Rushern Baker, III, and representatives from his office explained the goal was to help county residents get faster action on their code complaints."
  • "The bill, alongside companion legislation [CB-63-2017], gives the existing Nuisance Abatement Board (NAB) additional powers and creates an administrative hearing officer position to conduct administrative hearings on code violations. When a county inspector issues a citation, the property owner has 30 days to respond to the citation by paying the fine and correcting the issue or requesting a hearing to contest it. If the cited person does not respond within 30 days, the case moves to court, where a judge can issue an enforceable order to correct the deficit and/or pay the fines. The new process would allow the administrative board to conduct a hearing on the citation and “order against the person or property cited and impose a civil penalty,” the bill reads."
  • "The bill also specifies that while it shall become law on Jan. 1, 2018, the board will not begin hearing cases until July 1, 2018."
  • Click here for the DPIE briefing on the new, faster process.