Agenda Item
City Council
Item #: 7.2. 2/8/2022 File #: 22-0051
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Thomas R. Hatch, Interim City Manager
FROM: Susan Galvan, Interim Community Development Director
1. SUBJECT
An overview of the Code Compliance Division’s operations
2. SUMMARY
A description of the Code Compliance Division of the Community Development Department. This report provides a brief summary of operations and information on current staffing levels, staffing comparisons to other local agencies, and case statistics.
3. RECOMMENDED ACTION
Receive and file.
4. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
5. STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Goal 1: Provide for a safe community
b. Provide staffing and resources to deliver services that ensure public safety Goal 3: Enhance and promote quality of life in the community c. Support and enhance attractive, diverse living environments
6. DISCUSSION AND BACKGROUND
The Code Compliance Division is housed within the Community Development Department and its main focus is to ensure the City’s residents and businesses are in compliance with the Orange Municipal Code, as well as with state and federal housing and building codes. Recent additions to the Code Compliance Division include code issues related to accessory dwelling and junior accessory dwelling units (ADU and JADU) as well as short-term rentals (STR’s). Due to State legislation restricting local jurisdiction administration in regulating ADU/JADU’s, the community’s response to quality-of-life issues in single-family residential areas has required additional oversight by the Division. Likewise, the new STR program, while not significant yet, is anticipated to also add another layer of compliance with little knowledge at this time of the impact to current operations. In addition, the Division is responsible for processing and managing Special Event Permits for all private and non-profit organizations. In managing the 26-square mile area of the city, Code Compliance staff is assigned to designated areas to manage all aspects of code compliance as City of Orange Printed on 2/3/2022Page 1 of 3
powered by Legistar™
Item #: 7.2. 2/8/2022 File #: 22-0051
illustrated in Attachment A.
Staffing
Prior to 2013, the Code Compliance Division consisted of seven positions including one Supervisor, one administrative assistant, and four full-time and one part-time Code Compliance Officers (COOs).
In 2013, as a result of the recession, one full-time COO position was frozen when the employee retired, and eventually eliminated in 2020. It should be noted, the Code Compliance Supervisor position has been vacant since the end of 2019 and is in the process of being filled. To provide more insight, the following is a comparison of staffing levels for local agencies:
City Sq. Miles Population Staffing Avg Citizens to
Officers
Orange 25.81 139,887 1 Supervisor 3
FT COO’s 1 PT
COO 1 Admin
39,968 to 1
Costa Mesa 15.81 113,159 1 Manager 1
Supervisor 8 FT
COO’s 3 PT
COO’s
11,911 to 1
Brea 12.21 42,678 1 COO 42,678 to 1
Buena Park 10.55 84,034 1 Supervisor 2
FT COO’s 1 PT
COO
33,614 to 1
Fountain Valley 9.08 56,026 1 Supervisor 1
PT COO
37,351 to 1
Huntington Beach 28.33 200,259 1 Supervisor 10
FT COO’s 1
Admin
20,026 to 1
Tustin 11.12 79,863 1 Senior COO 2
FT COO’s 1 PT
COO
22,818 to 1
As listed above, Orange’sCode Compliance Division has the second to lowest number of COO’sper citizen, covering one of the larger geographic areas in Orange County. An average number of COOs per citizen, based on the cities surveyed above, is 29,767. This calculation demonstrates the City of Orange, with its population and size, is operating its Code Compliance Division with fewer resources than all but one other nearby city.
Most recently during a staffing restructuring, two positions (one from Public Works and one from the Police Department) were transferred to the Code Compliance Division to ensure citywide compliance issues are housed in one area for consistency. The position transferred from Public Works (Environmental Compliance Specialist) retained the duties associated with maintaining all public right -of-way including bus shelter inspections, illegal dumping, overgrow vegetation, trash can complaints, and right-of-way encroachments to name a few. The responsibilities of the vacant Police Code Enforcement Officer were assumed by the COOs and include graffiti on private property and code compliance issues associated with illegal activities. While the Code Compliance Division recently City of Orange Printed on 2/3/2022Page 2 of 3
powered by Legistar™
Item #: 7.2. 2/8/2022 File #: 22-0051
compliance issues associated with illegal activities. While the Code Compliance Division recently increased staffing to eight, the two added positions retained their previously established responsibilities now assumed by the Division.
Statistics
Prior to 2020, the number of code compliance cases was consistently 1,700-1,800 per year; however, the number of cases opened has dropped these past two years:
2018 1,737 2020 1,300
2019 1,739 2021 1,253
Of the 1,253 cases in 2021, 341 (27%) were opened via the new Orange 24/7 app. The Orange 24/7 app became available in the spring of 2021 and use by the public has consistently increased since its launch. In looking at the history of code compliance cases, there are a few factors explaining the recent decrease:
· The former Supervisor retired at the end of 2019 and the position has been vacant since. · While not definitive, as in other areas of Community Development, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a reduction of new cases but, there was a new focus in responding to questions and complaints from the public with regards to state and county COVID-19 restrictions. · With the decrease in staffing, some areas of code compliance were deferred, such as inspections of affordable housing and proactive code compliance.
As mentioned earlier, Special Event Permits for private and non-profit organizations are also issued by the Code Compliance Division. This process includes assisting the applicants in providing the required documentation, confirming liability coverage, and coordinating the review and approval by City departments. While the COVID-19 pandemic prevented most special events these past two years, the City issues an average of 27 Special Event Permits per year.
One area that has seen an increase is in graffiti cases. In 2021, the number of cases was 254, an increase of 80 (46%) from 174 in 2019. A likely explanation for this can be attributed to use of the new Orange 24/7 app. However, it is difficult to determine how many of the 341 cases noted above were related to graffiti alone as the cases were not distinguished.
It is clear that our Code Compliance Division requires some adjustments as a result of public expectations. Once the Code Compliance Division is fully staffed, it is the intention that the current structure will be re-evaluated for future operations, so as to best meet the evolving needs of the organization and the community. This action is anticipated to be completed by early summer 2022.
7. ATTACHMENTS
· Attachment A: Code Enforcement Designated Area Map
City of Orange Printed on 2/3/2022Page 3 of 3
powered by Legistar™