Oakland to enhance code enforcement

Unmowed yards. Boats and RVs parked in the front yard. Uninhabitable buildings.

Oakland officials are discussing ways to enhance the code enforcement in an effort to clean up the town, meeting town regulations and monitor compliance of ongoing events such as watering.

The town of Oakland, which once had a productive Code Enforcement Board, has been operating with a magistrate, Town Manager Dennis Foltz said at the May 23 town commission meeting, but there hasn’t been as much activity as there should be.

“I want to see us concentrate on priorities,” he said.

A dedicated code enforcement officer once patrolled the town, and then Oakland contracted with the city of Ocoee for eight hours a week.

But Commissioner Mike Satterfield thinks control would be easier if the town had a code-enforcement officer patrolling the town on a regular basis.

“I don’t want to be Stepford, USA … but I want to see some decent code enforcement,” Mayor Kathy Stark said.

Commissioner Sal Ramos suggested all residents be given a list of the code-enforcement rules.

It is Code Enforcement’s responsibility to constantly monitor all issues in the town, Foltz said in a memo to the commission.

“However, the priority and level of enforcement is somewhat ‘in the eye of the beholder,’ and the prime ‘beholder’ is the town commission,” he said.

The commission agreed code enforcement needs to be addressed and will discuss it in detail at a future meeting.

“We have to be consistent and fair,” Stark said.

 Contact Amy Quesinberry at [email protected].