[Call to Order] [00:27:46] LOOK. EQUITY, COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, HOUSING, HEALTH AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE. I AM THE CHAIR. [Roll Call] [00:27:52] COUNCILWOMAN BARBARA SHANKLIN, MY VICE CHAIR, HAS EXCUSED ABSENCE. COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS [00:28:00] SHOULD BE HERE SHORTLY. COUNCILMAN DAN SIMON'S HERE. COUNCILMAN MARCUS WINKLER IS [00:28:07] HERE. AND COUNCILWOMAN JENNY WOOLDRIDGE IS HERE. OKAY, BEFORE WE START, WE'RE GOING TO [00:28:14] DO A MOMENT OF SILENCE, IF YOU DON'T MIND. FOR THE PLANE CRASH AND THE VICTIMS THAT WERE LOST. [00:28:24] SO WE'RE GOING TO DO A MOMENT OF SILENCE. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. MADAM CLERK, WE'RE GOING TO DO NUMBER TWO FIRST, IF YOU DON'T MIND. SO, COUNCILMAN KEN HARRINGTON AND [2. R-132-25     A RESOLUTION HONORING MARY LEE AND GEORGE FISCHER BY RE-DEDICATING THE CORNER OF EAST WITHERSPOON STREET AND NORTH FLOYD STREET AS “MARY LEE AND GEORGE FISCHER WAY” IN THEIR HONOR. Action Required By April 30, 2026  Sponsors: Ken Herndon (D-4) ] OF COURSE, KEN HERON, COUNCILMAN HARRINGTON IS HERE WITH US TODAY FOR A SHORT TIME. OKAY. ITEM TWO, A RESOLUTION HONORING MARY LEE AND GEORGE FISHER BY REDEDICATING THE CORNER OF EAST WITHERSPOON STREET AND NORTH FOURTH STREET, AS MARY LEE AND GEORGE FISHER WALK IN THEIR HONOR. READ AND FULL MOTION. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN HEARN. YES, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIRMAN. JUST LONG BEFORE GREG FISHER WAS MAYOR, MANY DECADES BEFORE HIS PARENTS, GEORGE AND MARY LEE, WERE WERE PILLARS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND GREAT BENEFACTORS FOR US ALL. A FEW YEARS AGO, WHEN MR. FISHER PASSED AWAY, THERE WAS AN HONORARY SIGN PUT UP IN HIS HONOR. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, A FEW MONTHS AGO, MARY LEE PASSED AS WELL. AND THIS IS JUST TO UPDATE THAT STREET HONORARY STREET SIGN TO INCLUDE TO HONOR THEM BOTH IN THE SAME LOCATION. OKAY, SO BOTH OF THEM HAVE PASSED NOW, BOTH OF THEM. I KNEW HIS FATHER DID. OKAY. THANK YOU. FOR ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS OR ANYTHING FROM ANY OF THE COUNCIL PEOPLE HEARING. NONE. WE'RE GOING TO SEND IT TO. YOU. WANT TO? THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING READY [00:30:01] AND WE GOT TO VOTE. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO VOTE ON IT. ALL IN FAVOR? NO ONE'S AGAINST IT, SO WE'LL SEND IT TO CONSENT. DO YOU WANT TO SEND IT TO THE CONSENT OR. OKAY. THANK YOU. THE NEXT THING ON THE AGENDA IS WE HAVE SPECIAL DISCUSSION WITH CODES AND REGULATION. DO YOU [1. ID 25-0593     CODES ENFORCEMENT GOALS AND CHALLENGES – Richard Price, Codes and Regulations] WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF SO THEY CAN PUT IT ON THE AGENDA? YES. I AM DIRECTOR RICHARD PRICE. CODES AND REGULATIONS FOR LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT. I DO WANT TO SAY THAT I DO HAVE WITH ME ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PHIL CROWE. OKAY. AND SISTER DIRECTOR ODELL HENDERSON'S. THAT ALSO WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF IF I CAN. OKAY. I'M GOING TO ASK YOU THIS. DO YOU HAVE A LONG PRESENTATION OR IS IT JUST. NO, MA'AM. IT'S JUST FIVE SLIDES. THAT OKAY. YOU KNOW, I CAN GET THROUGH PRETTY QUICKLY AND TAKE SOME QUESTIONS. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS LONG SLIDES ARE, YOU KNOW, OKAY. SO YOU CAN GO AHEAD WITH YOUR PRESENTATION, PLEASE. OKAY. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING US. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO BE BEFORE YOU TODAY TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE UPDATE ON CODES AND REGULATIONS. IT'S BEEN A YEAR. I LOOKED AT MY CALENDAR AND IT WAS OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD YOU GUYS HERE. OKAY, IT'S BEEN A GOOD YEAR OPPORTUNITY TO GET A WHOLE LOT DONE. OKAY. YES. AND I'M VERY PROUD OF MY TEAM THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN SOME THINGS DONE. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHEN I WAS WITH YOU BEFORE, ONE OF MY GOALS IS TO MOVE US FROM BEING A REACTIVE CODE AND REGULATION DEPARTMENT TO A PROACTIVE, DATA DRIVEN CODE AND REGULATION DEPARTMENT. AS YOU LOOK AT OUR MISSION AND VISION, I CAN'T I DON'T WANT TO MISS THAT. THAT PARTICULARLY OUR VISION, IS TO SET THE STANDARD IN CODING REGULATIONS INDUSTRY AND BE A FORWARD THINKING, EFFICIENT AND TRUSTED CODE DEPARTMENT, PROMOTING SAFETY AND SUPPORTING GROWTH, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, FOSTERING COMMUNITY TRUST. THAT'S HUGE. AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, WHEN YOU LOOK AT JUST SOME BIBLE NUMBERS, THAT IS I THINK IS RELEVANT, I'M VERY PROUD OF, YOU KNOW, TOTAL INSPECTIONS. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE YEARS COMPARISON FROM WHEN I WAS WITH YOU TO AND THIS TAKE US, I THINK FROM SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, OUR TOTAL INSPECTIONS WAS UP 24%. VERY PROUD THAT WE SAY WITH LIFE SAFETY, YOU KNOW, EMERGENCIES AND SUCH, WE UP 110%, 40% IN CITATIONS, NOTICES OF VIOLATIONS, 28%. AND THAT IS SIGNIFICANT TO ME BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT WE HAD 28,167 NOTICES OF VIOLATION, WHICH ESSENTIALLY SAYS, HEY, YOU GOTTA FIX THIS. AND THEN WHEN PEOPLE DON'T FIX THAT, THEN WE MOVE ON TO THE CITATION PART OF IT, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WE HAD 28,000. WE ISSUED 28,000 NOTICE OF VIOLATION, BUT WAS ONLY REQUIRED TO ISSUE A LITTLE SHORT OF 9000 CITATIONS. NOW, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE GOT MAYBE 100% WHAT WE WANTED. BUT WE DID GET COMPLIANCE THAT DID NOT LEAD TO THAT CITATION. AND THEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT IS RESPONSE TIME. WE OUR RESPONSE TIMES IS DOWN FIVE FROM FIVE DAYS TO ROUGHLY AROUND THREE DAYS, AND THAT IS 37%. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS, YES, WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS. WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE DATA, WHAT THE DATA SAY. THAT'S GOING TO MAKE DETERMINATION WHERE WE GO AND HOW WE RESOLVE SOME OF THESE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ISSUES. ANOTHER THING THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD WITH IS WORKING WITH THE LMPD, LOUISVILLE METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT. SUSTAINED FOCUS INITIATIVES. THE DATA SHOWS. AND PARTICULARLY DETROIT, CLEVELAND AND OHIO, THEY HAVE DATA THAT SHOWS THAT WHEN YOU THERE'S A GOOD THERE'S A CLOSE CORRELATION WITH CORRELATION WITH VIOLENT CRIME AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ISSUES. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT. IN FACT, IT STATES, I THINK I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, THAT WHEN YOU TAKE CARE OF OF PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ISSUES, YOU MANAGE VACANT ABANDONED PROPERTIES, YOU REDUCE THE GRAFFITI AND YOU TAKE OUT THE NUISANCE. IT REDUCED VIOLENT CRIME BY 30%. SO WE ARE WE ARE IN IT WITH LMPD AND THIS IS SOME OF THE [00:35:01] NUMBERS THAT THEY THEY HAVE IN THEIR DASHBOARD, AS WHEN WE LOOK AT FROM QUARTER ONE, QUARTER TWO AND QUARTER THREE OF THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, GRAFFITI ABATEMENT, WE HAVE STEPPED UP 8%. NOW. THE PROPERTY BOARDINGS WERE DOWN TO 12% BASED ON QUARTERS OF LAST YEAR. BUT DON'T GET DON'T LOOK AT THAT IN A HORRIBLE WAY THAT WE WAS DOWN. IT'S YOU KNOW WE HAD A CUT A LOT OF GRASS DONE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS. AND THE OVERALL NUMBERS MAY HAVE SHOWED THAT, BUT I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE STILL ON THE RIGHT TRACK OF STEPPING IT UP WITH OUR BOARDINGS, OUR PROPERTY CLEANINGS UP 13%, PUBLIC LANDS UP 9% AND EMERGENCY DEMOLITIONS. ALL OF THESE THINGS ADD TO VIOLENT CRIME. AND AND YOU KNOW, MY TEAM HAS DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB OF TRYING TO ABATE THIS. ONE OF THE BIGGEST THREATS TO PUBLIC SAFETY FROM A CODE AND REGULATIONS DEPARTMENT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, NO QUESTION, IS THE VACANT AND ABANDONED PROPERTIES WHEN WE WE GOTTA GET THESE THINGS MANAGED AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED 1775 THAT WE KNOW OF, WE KNOW IT'S WAY MORE THAN THAT, PROBABLY ABOUT ROUGHLY BETWEEN 5 OR 6000 VACANT, ABANDONED PROPERTIES. WE WANT TO MAKE THE CONCERTED EFFORT TO IDENTIFY EVERY VACANT AND ABANDONED PROPERTY, ENSURE THAT THEY ARE SECURED AND REMAIN SECURED, AND WE DO THAT BY CLEAR BOARDING. WE GOT THIS PROCESS WHERE WE TAKE THE PLEXIGLASS. WE'VE DONE A PILOT THAT SHOWS THAT WHEN WE APPLY THE PLEXIGLASS INSTEAD OF THE THE, THE PLYWOOD PEOPLE DO NOT. WE HAVE LESS BREACHES. PEOPLE TEND TO NOT GET BACK IN IT. SO THIS SINCE 2024, WE HAVE CLEARED ABOUT 805 PROPERTIES. AGAIN, WE HAVE PROBABLY IDENTIFIED MORE. THERE'S MORE ON THE LIST. THIS IS JUST A RECENT DATA, BUT WE ARE PROUD ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH VACANT ABANDONED PROPERTIES TO RESOLVE SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES WITH FIRE, CRIME AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. AND THEN WHAT I'M MOST PROUD OF TO IS OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. AGAIN, WE TRY TO FOSTER COMMUNITY TRUST. AND WHEN I SAY FOSTER COMMUNITY TRUST, I'M TALKING ABOUT PART BEING A PARTNER WITH INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY BY GOING OUT THERE, BEING IN IT, TAKING EVERY INVITE, COMING TO EVERY TOWN HALL, EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION REQUEST. WHEN WE GET EVENTS LIKE THE STATE FAIR AND OTHER EVENTS AROUND THE CITY, WE'RE SHOWING UP WITH OUR MATERIAL, WITH EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL, TALKING TO PEOPLE AND EDUCATING THEM ABOUT PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ISSUES. SO YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, FROM 24 TO 25, WE HAVE ATTENDED 33 TOWN HALL ENGAGEMENTS AND 20 COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND THESE ARE A LOT OF TIMES, YOU KNOW, WE WE FIND A LOT OF THESE COMMUNITY EVENTS OURSELVES. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T NECESSARILY GET INVITED, BUT WE LOOK FOR THEM, FIND THEM. WE GO OUT THERE AND AND SOME OF THEM WE DO GET INVITED. BUT TO TOWN HALLS, YOU KNOW ABOUT SO AND THAT REALLY COMPLETES THE PRESENTATION PART. AND BUT I'M VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE'RE DOING, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR WHERE WE NEED TO BE FOR SURE. WE STILL GOT A LOT TO DO. THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE MAY HAVE MISSED, BUT I'M PROUD THAT THE EFFORT AND PUSHING FORWARD OF MY TEAM, AND WITH THAT, I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. OKAY, I GUESS I'LL GET STARTED BECAUSE I GOT A LOT OF COMPLAINTS, I CAN TELL YOU THAT. DO YOU HAVE A LOT OF. I'M SORRY. YOU HAVE A LOT OF WHAT? COMPLAINTS. OKAY. YEAH. I HATE TO TELL YOU THAT, BUT IN THE LAST YEAR, MY MY COMMUNITY HAS GONE DOWN HERE. MY COMMUNITY HAS GONE DOWNHILL AFTER WE MET AND ALL OF THAT. AND I KNOW YOU RODE MY DISTRICT, BUT EVERY SEPTEMBER, WE GET A NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE, RIGHT? THEY CHANGED. SO WHEN YOU GET A NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE, SOME OF THEM DO WELL, SOME OF THEM DON'T. JUST YESTERDAY I HAD TO CALL DAMON SMILEY AND I TOLD HIM I HAD A COUCH, A WHITE PLASTIC COUCH SITTING ON THE STREET TWO WEEKS NOW, AND I CALLED, TURNED IT IN. I DID HAVE THE WRONG ADDRESS, BUT I'LL BE DARNED IF THEY RODE DOWN THE STREET AND JUST LEFT IT SITTING THERE. SO WE CALLED. I HAD CALEB CALL BACK AND SAY THE COUCH IS STILL THERE. IT'S BEEN GOING ON TWO WEEKS AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE DIDN'T SEE THAT ADDRESS NUMBER. WELL, IT WAS RIGHT ABOUT THREE HOUSES DOWN, BUT THE COUCH IS SITTING THERE. SO I SENT AN EMAIL RIGHT BACK AND SAID, WELL, WHOEVER YOU SENT WAS BLIND BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY THEY CAN GO DOWN THAT STREET AND NOT SEE THAT COUCH SITTING THERE. YEAH. AND SO I CALLED THEM BACK AGAIN AND TOLD MR. SMILEY. HE SAID, WELL, THERE WASN'T THE RIGHT ADDRESS. AND TRUE, THIS MORNING THE [00:40:06] COUCH WAS STILL SITTING THERE. THEY SAID, WELL, WE WENT BACK AND TALKED TO THE GUY AND THE COUCH WAS STILL THERE ON MY WAY DOWN HERE. THIS IS RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE. I LOOKED TO SEE WHERE THE COUCH WAS, AND HE WAS MOVING THE COUCH BACK TO THE DRIVEWAY. THE BACKYARD IS FULL OF JUNK AND I HAVE CALLED ON IN THIS HOUSE. THE SAME HOUSE. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES HE HAS ALL KIND OF STUFF THEY SELL AND THEY. BUT TODAY IT AIN'T NOTHING BUT TRASH IN THAT COUCH, IN A CHAIR, SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRONT YARD. NOW, WHAT I MY CONCERN IS THEY GO PAST THESE THINGS AND THEY DON'T NOTICE THEM AND THEY DON'T STOP. BECAUSE THE LAST TIME WE TALKED, I SAID, WHEN YOU SEE IF THEY'RE OUT THERE AND THEY SEE THIS, CAN THEY CITE THEM WHEN THEY SEE IT? YOU TOLD ME. YES, ABSOLUTELY. THEY CAN THEY JUST RIDE DOWN MY STREET. THEY DON'T STOP. THAT STUFF WILL SIT THERE AND I GOT WITNESSES. IT'LL SIT THERE. I WAS HEADED OUT THE OTHER DAY AND AS I CAME OUT, OUT YOUR LANE, A CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WAS SITTING THERE IN A TRUCK. I MEAN, IN A CAR. HE WAS SITTING THERE. SO I JUST RODE ON DOWN THE STREET, AND I JUST SIT AND WAIT IT RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. THERE WAS A HOUSE THAT HAD TWO TRUCKS AND FOUR CARS, ALL IN THE FRONT YARD, THAT YOU COULD NOT SEE THE GRASS AT ALL. THERE'S NO YOU DON'T SEE THE GRASS BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT BIG HOUSE THAT THEY DONE BUILT. AND HE'S GOT SO MANY VIOLATIONS AND I CAN'T TELL YOU THE ADDRESS, BUT I KNOW IF THEY RIDE MY NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY KNOW WHICH HOUSE IT IS BECAUSE HE DONE ADDED ON TO IT ALL. IT'S THE BIGGEST HOUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. ALL OF THAT'S IN THE FRONT YARD. AND I STOPPED, PULLED OVER AND WATCHED TO SEE IF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WAS GOING TO STOP AND SAY SOMETHING WENT RIGHT ON PAST IT. SO WHAT I DID, I HAD A FRIEND OF MINE TO DRIVE ME, AND I WROTE DOWN EVERY VIOLATION I SAW, AND I HAD 32 OF THEM THAT DAY, AND I TURNED THE 32 IN. I GOT A COUPLE OF THEM THAT CAME BACK. I SAID, WELL, THAT WASN'T THE RIGHT ADDRESS, BUT SOMEBODY HAD A YARD SALE, HAD SO MUCH FURNITURE AND STUFF SITTING ON THE SIDEWALK OUT ON THE SIDEWALK. AND I PUT 3200 AND IT WAS 3202. WELL, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PASS THAT AND NOT SEE IT? AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE WITH CODES. THEY, THEY OUT THERE RIDING BUT THEY DON'T STOP. AND HERE LATELY I'VE HAD A LOT OF DIFFERENT FOREIGNERS MOVE IN MY DISTRICT. A LOT OF THEM, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT CULTURES. THEY DON'T KNOW, BUT THEY HAVE CLOTHES HANGING ON THE IN THE FRONT YARD, ON THE GRASS. THEY HAVE THEY PUT THESE BIG FENCES, METAL FENCES, SIX FOOT. I JUST WENT TO COURT ABOUT THAT. AND THEN THEY DOING BUSINESSES BEHIND THEM. THEY GOT CARS AND EVERYTHING. NOW MAN YOU I CALL MIKE. MIKE I THINK HIS NAME IS WILBUR MIKE WILCHER. YEAH. YEAH. ABOUT ALL OF THEM. NOTHING'S BEING DONE. THEY STILL THERE. AND IT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE THAT CATHOLIC CHARITIES BRING A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE IN. NOBODY'S TELLING THEM WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I THINK THE LAST TIME YOU GUYS WERE HERE, I GAVE YOU ALL SOME OF THOSE PAMPHLETS I HAD MADE IN SPANISH SO THEY WOULD KNOW THEY AIN'T WORKING. NOTHING'S WORKING. YESTERDAY I HAD A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK THAT PULLED ALL THE WAY. THEY JUST MOVED IN. THEY PULLED ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE HOUSE INSIDE, AND THEY HAD TWO TRUCKS IN THE FRONT YARD. I TURNED IT IN. NOW THEY DID COME OUT AND THEY CITED THEM. AND WHEN I GOT OUT THERE THIS MORNING, THE TRUCK. THE TRUCK WAS GONE. THAT'S ANOTHER BIG THING I HAVE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE'S SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCKS EVERYWHERE. A LOT OF THEM, THEY BRING THEM, THEY BRING THEM HOME. THEY DON'T GET CITED. THEY EVEN BRING IN A BIG OLD TRUCK WITH CARS PARKED ON WITH ALL THESE CARS ON IT. AND I JUST THINK IT'S NOT FAIR FOR US TO LIVE LIKE THIS. AND WE HAVE CODE ENFORCEMENT AND THEY'RE NOT CITING THEM, OR EITHER THEY GIVE THEM 15 DAYS, THEY NEED TO GIVE THEM SEVEN DAYS TO CLEAN THAT PLACE. AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN, BUT AFTER A WHILE YOU GET SO FRUSTRATED WITH IT. YOU COME OUT THE DOOR, YOU WALK, YOU CAN'T EVEN GO DOWN THE STREET. GRASS IS THIS HIGH AND SOMEBODY'S NOT DOING THEIR JOB. I DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS, SOMEBODY'S NOT DOING IT. AND I CALL WE WRITE IT IN EVERY TIME WE GET IT. WE WRITE IT IN. AND [00:45:03] MR. SMILEY SENDS ME SOMETHING BACK. WELL, THIS IS COMPLETE. WE GAVE HIM 15 DAYS. DON'T GIVE HIM 15 DAYS. GIVE HIM SEVEN DAYS. THEY DON'T TAKE THAT LONG TO CLEAN UP NO GARBAGE. THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO CLEAN THAT STUFF UP IN ONE DAY. SO THAT'S WHERE I'M REALLY FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT'S GOING ON. AND OF COURSE, BY THE TIME YOU GET TO KNOW HIM IN SEPTEMBER, WE GET NEW ONES AND THEY DON'T KNOW THE DISTRICT AND THEY DON'T. THEY JUST RIDE RIGHT PAST WHATEVER'S OUT THERE. THEY RIDE PAST IT. AND SO I DON'T LIKE TO BE COMING DOWN ON Y'ALL. BUT WHEN WHEN IT'S NOT DONE, THEY COME DOWN ON ME. THEY'LL SAY, COUNCILWOMAN AIN'T DOING NOTHING. THIS PLACE LOOKS HORRIBLE AROUND HERE. AND THAT'S WHAT I GET ALL THE TIME. AND I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO US NOW. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANY REST OF YOU GUYS. I KNOW MARCUS PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF STUFF IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE HE LIVES WAY OUT, AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT. YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE IT EITHER. AND THEN JUST LAST WEEK, I TOLD THE COUNCIL WE LAUGHED ABOUT IT. THEY BROUGHT IN THREE PIGS IN THE BACKYARD. THEN WE CALLED IT IN AND THE GUY SAID, WELL, THEY ALLOWED TO HAVE ONE PIG. AND WE I'VE BEEN TALKING TO SOME OUT IN YOUR AREA. I'VE BEEN TALKING TO J.J. NOW THEY WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE BRINGING THEM PIGS. THEY SLAUGHTER ANIMALS IN THE BACKYARD. EVEN COUNCILWOMAN BETSY, I THINK. I CAN'T THINK OF WHAT THE DISTRICT SHE SAID. SOMETIMES SHE FINDS THE HEADS AND PIECES OF WHERE THEY SLAUGHTERED IN THE PARK. THEY PUT IT IN PLASTIC AND DROP IT. IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING TO US AS COUNCIL PEOPLE THAT WE CANNOT GET ANYTHING DONE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS REALLY GONE DOWN AND I CAN BRING PICTURES. BUT I SAID, WELL, I'M JUST GOING TO TELL IT LIKE IT IS. I'D RATHER YOU MEET ME, TELL IT LIKE IT IS, THAN TO CALL THE MAYOR OR WHATEVER. BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY START BRINGING IN WHAT THEY GOT, CHICKENS THAT JUST WALK THE STREETS. AND I KNOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A CHICKEN COOP TO PUT THEM CHICKEN IN, BUT NOBODY'S CITING THEM OR SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, HAVE A GUY THAT CALLED ME ALMOST EVERY DAY. HE SAID, I WORK THIRD SHIFT IN THIS PERSON'S CHICKENS DOWN THE STREET, SITTING ON MY FRONT PORCH CROWING EVERY MORNING. AND WHAT CAN I DO? I SAID, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING THAT'S LEFT UP TO ME. I WOULD CITE EVERYBODY THAT I SAW, BUT LIKE I SAID, I DID 3032 THAT DAY AND IT'S A WHOLE LOT MORE. BUT I CAN SAY THE NEXT DAY MR. SMILEY HAD 3 OR 4 CARS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I SAW HIM WRITING, WRITING, BUT THEY JUST GIVE HIM TOO LONG TO GET IT DONE. OKAY. SO YEAH. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND I AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND LISTEN, YOU YOU'RE NOT GETTING ON ME. YOU'RE NOT GETTING ON US. THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT WE WANT. YOU KNOW? I WANT TO BE MEASURED. TELL ME HOW WE DOING? IF WE'RE NOT GETTING IT DONE, WE GOT TO GO BACK. WE GOTTA GET WITH OUR TEAM. WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THESE THINGS DONE. ONE THING I WOULD ASK, THOUGH, WHEN YOU EVEN. I KNOW YOU KNOW DAMON, HE'S A SUPERVISOR AND, YOU KNOW, HE'S VERY CAPABLE SUPERVISOR. I'M FINE WITH HIM, BUT IF YOU WOULD, WHEN YOU YOU ARE. CALEB, SEND THOSE THINGS OVER. PLEASE COPY MYSELF AND MR. CROWE. AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST LIKE TO BE COPIED IN ON THAT SO I CAN ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO WITH PROPER, FIRST OF ALL, SHOWING UP AND DOING PROPER FOLLOW UP. I GET OUT WHEN I GET, YOU KNOW, COMPLAINTS THAT I'M COPIED IN ON WHETHER IT'S FROM YOU ALL, FROM A CITIZEN, SOMEBODY FROM A NEIGHBORHOOD. NOT ONLY I MAKE CONTACT WITH, WITH MR. CROWE, MR. ODELL OR ONE OF THE SUPERVISORS, I GO OUT MYSELF AND LOOK AT IT AND DO THE FOLLOW. SO I'M VERY INTERESTED IN IT. WE'VE OBVIOUSLY HAVE DROPPED THE BALL HERE AND I WILL LOOK INTO THESE THINGS, THESE 32 COMPLAINTS AND WE I KNOW MAYBE IT WE NEED A SWEEP BUT I DON'T KNOW. WE WILL FIGURE IT OUT. AND I DO APPRECIATE IT. IF WE COULD DO A SWEEP AND HIT A WHOLE BUNCH. BUT SEE ONE OTHER THING IS THEY KNOW WHAT TIME THEY GET OFF. MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE AREA, THEY KNOW WHAT TIME THEY GET OFF, AND ON THE WEEKENDS IT'LL BE SO MANY CARS IN THE PARKED IN THE FRONT YARD AND ALL OF THAT. I MEAN, IT JUST DESTROYS A NEIGHBORHOOD. IT USED TO BE A SUBDIVISION NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE PEOPLE LIVED AND ENJOYED. NOW YOU JUST CAN'T EVEN GO DOWN THE STREET WITHOUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF TRASH OUT FRONT. WE JUST PASSED ANOTHER HOUSE AND IT'S COUCHES AND EVERYTHING LAYING OUT ON THE CURB RIGHT NOW. AND I SAID, CALEB, DO WE HAVE TIME TO GET THAT ADDRESS? HE SAID, WELL, WE'LL GET IT ON OUR WAY BACK. THEY DON'T CARE AND NOBODY MAKES THEM CARE IF THERE IS NO IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT GOING TO EVER GET PUNISHED FOR SOMETHING [00:50:04] YOU'RE DOING, YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP ON DOING IT. YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S TRUE. AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE LANGUAGE BARRIERS THAT HAPPENS OUT THERE BECAUSE WE HAVE RESOLVED THAT WITH TECHNOLOGY. SO I DON'T YOU KNOW, THERE ARE WE ARE ABLE, NO MATTER WHAT THE LANGUAGE IS, TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE. THAT'S NO EXCUSE. AND I WILL NEVER USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE. BUT AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THIS. I WILL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THIS. IF YOU GOT SOME SPECIFIC ADDRESSES, PLEASE SEND THEM TO ME. BUT BUT THE REALITY IS WE GOTTA GET OUT THERE AND GET INTO THAT NEWBERG COMMUNITY AND, AND SEE SOME OF THESE THINGS OURSELVES. I THINK. I MEAN, ADDRESSES IS OKAY, SEND THEM TO YOU. BUT IF YOU RIDING PAST AND YOU SEE IT, WHAT'S WRONG WITH JUST WRITING IT DOWN OR EITHER GOING UP THERE AND TELL THEM THEY HAVE TO DO IT? NO, NO, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. THAT'S WHAT PROACTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT IS. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. LAST YEAR WHEN I HAD YOU HERE. ABSOLUTELY. BUT LIKE I SAID, IN SEPTEMBER, I GOT A NEW BUNCH EVERY SEPTEMBER. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OTHER COUNCIL PEOPLE DO IT, BUT I GET OUT THERE AND WE'LL RIDE. YEAH. AND I SAID, LOOK AT THIS, LOOK AT THIS. YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DO OUR JOB AND KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOODS CLEAN. NO, I KNOW, AND IT IT PAINS ME. I FEEL HORRIBLE THAT I FEEL LIKE THAT WE HAVE TAKEN A STEP BACK IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAN WE THAN A STEP FORWARD. AND THAT BOTHERS ME TREMENDOUSLY. AND AND I PROMISE WE'RE GOING TO GET ON. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS, LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING, SEE WHAT WE CAN DO DIFFERENT, AND ENSURE THAT WE GET THESE THINGS TAKEN CARE OF. AND I DO APOLOGIZE, AND I'LL GIVE YOU THIS ONE ADDRESS BEFORE I LEAVE, OKAY? BEFORE YOU LEAVE, I WANT TO SAY IT ON THERE. OKAY. I JUST WANT YOU TO SEE ALL THE TRASH AND STUFF THAT'S IN THE BACKYARD. AND THEY WENT OVER THERE YESTERDAY. THAT'S WHERE THE COUCH IS. AND HE WENT OVER THERE AND TALKED TO HIM. THAT'S WHAT HE SAID ON THAT. ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN. YES, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. WHAT'S THE AVERAGE TIME TO CORRECT A VIOLATION? IF YOU GO OUT AND FIND SOMEBODY, THERE'S A DUMP IN THE YARD OR TRASH. WHAT'S THE AVERAGE TIME THEY HAVE TO CLEAN THAT UP? TRASH? IT'S SEVEN DAYS IS WHAT WE IS IS THE IS THE TIME. SO IF YOU DON'T GET IT DONE, COMPLETE THE VIOLATION. MOST OF OUR VIOLATIONS HAVE SEVEN DAYS TO DO. NOW SOME MAY BE A LITTLE LONGER IF IF IT'S IF IT'S NOT BEEN A NUISANCE, NOT LIFE THREATENING. THEY YOU KNOW WE LEAVE, WE GIVE THE OFFICERS SOME AUTONOMY TO WORK WITH CITIZENS IF THEY NEED MORE TIME TO GET IT DONE, TO GET IT DONE. BUT JUST TECHNICALLY, BY RULE, YOU GOT SEVEN DAYS TO GET THAT COMPLETED. SO WE DO NOT DO IT. OKAY. I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. THE BRICKYARD IN FAIRDALE BRICKYARD. AND SOMEBODY ON CODES EVIDENTLY WORKS ON IS ON CODES THAT THEN THEIR WIFE EVIDENTLY IS THE WORKS OUT THERE AS HEAD OF SECURITY. AND WE HAVE VIOLATIONS. SHE SAID. SOMEONE THAT WORKS FOR CODES. WIFE WORKS THERE AT THE BRICKYARD FOR THIS COMPANY. OKAY. AND THEY WE HAVE CALLED AND CALLED AND CALLED ABOUT DUMPS AND DUMPS. IT'S PRIVATE PROPERTY. WE USED TO HAVE CAMERAS OUT THERE. THEY TOOK THE CAMERAS BECAUSE IT IS PRIVATE PROPERTY, AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM TO PUT PRIVATE PROPERTY, I MEAN, CAMERAS UP, BUT THEY WON'T. THEY HAVEN'T DONE IT YET. THEY WON'T RESPOND TO US. NOW, THEY KNOW THAT IF WE CALL ON THEM AND THERE'S A DUMP THERE THAT THEY'VE GOT SEVEN DAYS TO TWO WEEKS TO CLEAN IT UP, AND THIS BECOMES A CYCLE. HOW MANY TIMES CAN DO ARE THEY TOLD TO CLEAN IT UP? THEY MIGHT DO IT WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS OR WHATEVER. WHEN DO WE FINALLY PUT SOME TEETH TO THAT AND SAY, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, GET IT CLEANED UP NOW? WELL, WELL, IT SOUNDS TO ME IF THAT'S IF THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON, THEN THEY'VE BECOME A NUISANCE, RIGHT? WE WON'T KNOW. WE THE PROPERTY IS A NUISANCE. AND I THINK THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE BEING IT IS A NUISANCE AND WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN TO WORK WITH THEM. WE'VE SENT CODES AFTER CODES AND I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT WHY WE'RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE THERE. OKAY? WE THEY WILL CLEAN IT UP AFTER WE HAVE HAMMERED THEM THAT. BUT WE'VE GOT A MILLION OTHER THINGS WE'RE DOING TOO. AND WE KEEP HAVING TO FOCUS ON THIS ONE AREA. YEAH. AND IT'S JUST IT'S IT'S GOT TO STOP. AND, AND THESE PEOPLE, WE'VE TRIED TO WORK WITH THEM AND HELP THEM AND IT JUST DOESN'T. AND SO CODES NEEDS TO FIND A WAY TO, TO, TO PUT A LITTLE MORE TEETH INTO WHAT THEY'RE DOING. WELL, IF THE, IF, IF THERE'S A HISTORY THERE, THERE'S A HISTORY. SO IF I COME OUT AND FIRST TIME AND I SAY, HEY, YOU GOTTA CLEAN THIS TRASH UP AND THEN YOU GET, YOU GIVE YOU SEVEN DAYS TO DO IT AND YOU GET IT, YOU GET IT DONE. AND THEN I GET ANOTHER COMPLAINT. I'LL COME OUT THERE, I SEE THAT THERE'S MORE TRASH. YOU DON'T GET ANOTHER SEVEN DAYS. KNOW WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN IS WE PROCEED WITH A CITATION, WE ELEVATE THE ENFORCEMENT. WELL, SEE, THEY DON'T CLEAN IT UP. [00:55:03] AND THEN ANOTHER DUMP WILL COME NOW. AND I'M. I'M NOT TRYING TO BEAT THEM UP BECAUSE THEY'RE THEY'RE A VICTIM TOO, IN A WAY. BUT THEY ARE PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS. AND WE'VE GIVEN EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO PUT CAMERAS UP AND WE'LL PROSECUTE IF YOU WILL HELP US. BUT THEY DON'T. OKAY. I'M GOING TO LET THIS IS A IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE. OKAY. WHEN I FIRST GOT IN OFFICE, IT WAS A ABSOLUTE MESS. YEAH. BUT IT IT CONTINUES AND IT CONTINUES. SO I, I'M JUST WONDERING WHEN DO WE FINALLY AFTER WE'VE BEEN CALLED, WE'VE CALLED SO MANY TIMES WHEN YOU GUYS FINALLY PUT SOME TEETH AND SAY, YOU KNOW, ENOUGH'S ENOUGH. THESE SEVEN, THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN GET BY SEVEN, 14 DAYS. AND ANOTHER THING, IF IF YOU GUYS ARE HAVING A HARD ENOUGH TIME COUNTING HOW MANY VACANT HOUSES WE'VE GOT, I'M SURE YOU HAVE A HARD, PRETTY HARD TIME GETTING OUT THERE AFTER SEVEN DAYS AND THE STUFF JUST STAYS OUT THERE 14, 21 DAYS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS WILL BE OR THEY'RE BEING TIPPED OFF. I DON'T KNOW, BUT I KNOW IT'S NOT BEING DONE. AND AND THAT'S OUR GATEWAY INTO TO FAIRDALE FROM BULLITT COUNTY. AND IT LOOKS LIKE A MESS MOST OF THE TIME. AND IT'S JUST IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO WORK WITH. OKAY. I HAVE A 95 YEAR OLD GENTLEMAN THAT WAS A NEIGHBOR CALLED. AND THEY CODES COME OUT AND THEY CITED THE 95 YEAR OLD GENTLEMAN BECAUSE HIS TREE WAS DEAD AND HE HAD SOME SIDING. DO WE HAVE ANY PROGRAMS? DO YOU REFER THESE, THESE SENIORS TO ANY PROGRAM THAT WOULD HELP THEM, OR DO THEY JUST GET THE CITATION AND THAT WE HAVE HAD CODES IN THE PAST CALL AND SAY, WE'VE GOT A GENTLEMAN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE JUST DON'T WANT TO WRITE HIM UP. CAN YOU HELP HIM? BUT DO WE HAVE ANY PROGRAMS THAT, THAT, THAT YOU GUYS REFER ELDERLY PEOPLE TO INSTEAD OF WRITING THEM UP? YES. SO WE FIRST OF ALL, WE TRY TO HELP AS MANY CITIZENS AS WE CAN, INCLUDING SENIORS, FOR SURE. NOW, YOU SAID ABOUT A TREE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE ANY PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY FOR A TREE TO BE CUT DOWN, BUT ANY PROGRAM THAT LOUISVILLE METRO HAS, OR IF THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT WE NEED TO REFER SOMEONE TO, WE ABSOLUTELY DO IT. I DON'T KNOW THE SPECIFICS OF THIS SITUATION OR WHY THIS GUY WAS CITED FOR A TREE IN HIS YARD, BUT IT WAS DEAD. IT WAS A DEAD TREE, AND HE WAS CITED, AND I HAD TO FIND A PRIVATE PERSON TO DONATE TO. IT COST A LOT OF MONEY TO HAVE THAT BIG TREE. BUT ARE THERE ANY CAN DO WE CAN WE REFER THESE FOLKS? I MEAN, HE WAS HE WAS GIVEN A CITATION 95 YEARS OLD. YEAH. WELL, YOU KNOW, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS ONLY FOR. VIOLATIONS. THAT'S ACTUALLY ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROPERTY. BUT IF THEY, YOU KNOW, HOUSING, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, THEY HAVE PROGRAMS TO HELP HOMEOWNERS THAT HAVE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ISSUES, THAT THEY CAN HELP THEM WITH THAT PART OF THE PROTOCOL. OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO ASK FOR? NO, IT'S PART OF THE PROTOCOL. FOR US AS COACHES. WE CAN IF WE CAN, IF WE KNOW THAT WE GOT A CITIZEN THAT IS HAVING DIFFICULTY PAYING FOR THIS, AND WE KNOW THAT HOUSING HAS THAT PROGRAM, WE ABSOLUTELY FOR THAT TO THEM. WELL, I JUST HOPE EVERYBODY IS ON THE SAME PAGE BECAUSE THIS 95 YEAR OLD MAN WAS GETTING MAN WAS GIVEN A CITATION FOR SIDING. YEAH. TRASH. AND 95. WELL, THE SIDING, WE HAD TO GO FIND SOMEBODY PRIVATELY TO, TO DONATE TIME TO HELP THIS ONE PERSON. AND WE SHOULD BE WE SHOULD BE HELPING OUR ELDERLY WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT 100%. I I'LL SUSPEND FOR RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU, MISTER CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE NO THANK YOU, THANK YOU SIR, AND WE WILL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THESE AGAIN. NO, WE I HAVE MYSELF BEEN IN THE FIELD AND AND I JUST HAD A 75 YEAR OLD INDIVIDUAL THAT I REFERRED HIM TO ICAP, THE ICAP PROGRAM, THE. CODES, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT HELPS SENIORS, NOT JUST ANY PERSON THAT DOES, CANNOT PAY THE THE FINES FOR THE CANNOT ABATE THE PROBLEMS FOR THEIR PROPERTY. WHO DETERMINES THAT AND HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THAT? THEY GOT A PROGRAM IN HOUSING. THEY LAURA GRABOWSKI AND HER GROUP, THEY RUN THAT PROGRAM WELL, WITH THIS FELLA. HE WAS GIVEN A CITATION. THERE WAS NO ASKING, NO PROGRAMS. THERE WAS NO HELPING THE GUY. IT WAS HE WAS GIVEN A CITATION. AND I'M I'M KIND OF THINKING NOW, I'M NOT SAYING IT'S LIKE IT IS WITH YOU ON BOARD NOW. AND I KNOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE YOU'VE BEEN ON, BUT THAT'S NOT BEEN THE CASE. OKAY. WELL, WE'VE NOT BEEN THE CASE. THEY HAVE. THERE'S BEEN NO SERVICES OFFERED OR ANYTHING. THEY WROTE [01:00:02] HIM UP, BUT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE CASE. AND SO WE MAY HAVE MISSED AND WE MAY HAVE MISSED THIS CONVERSATION, BUT THAT IS PART OF OUR PROTOCOL. WHAT ONE OF THE THINGS TO A COLLEAGUE ASKED ME, CODES AND ZONING OFFICERS. DO YOU GUYS ARE YOU GUYS ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN IT COMES TO WORKING THINGS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, OR ARE YOU GUYS NOT FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER? NO, NO, NO. ZONING IS PART OF CODES AND REGULATIONS NOW. SO NOW WE ARE IN WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE OR SHOULD BE ON THE SAME PAGE WORKING TOGETHER FOR SURE. OKAY, ONE MORE QUESTION AND I WILL SAY TOO THAT MY ASSISTANT LISA AMMAN SAYS YOU GUYS DO WELL FOLLOWING UP ON COMPLAINTS. AND SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE DOES. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM US AS A COMMITTEE. DO YOU NEED WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM US TO HELP YOU IN YOUR JOB D WHAT YOU'RE DOING? WELL THANK YOU DOING IT. I THINK YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, BRING THESE THINGS TO OUR ATTENTION BECAUSE THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE'RE GOING TO BE. WE NEED TO BE CONSISTENT. WE NEED TO BE FOLLOWING THE PLAN AND THE VISION THAT WE THAT I'VE LAID OUT FOR THIS DEPARTMENT. NOW WE GOT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GOING TO BE TIMES WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO MISS THE MARK. WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO DROP THE BALL. WHAT I NEED FOR YOU ALL IS TO LET US KNOW. AND IT'S IT'S A SIMPLE EMAIL. MYSELF OR MR. CROWE, MR. HENDERSON, YOU KNOW, COPY US IN WHEN YOU ARE TALKING TO OUR OFFICERS AND YOU ARE, YOU KNOW, AND YOU FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOT PROVIDING THE SERVICE THAT WE NEED, LET US KNOW AND WE CAN GET THERE. I THINK WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED TO DO, THE JOB THAT BASED ON THE MISSION THAT I'VE SET OUT, BUT WE JUST GOT TO GET PEOPLE WALKING BY THE SAME DRUMBEAT, AND WE GOTTA OURSELVES, AS LEADERS, GOT TO DO THE PROPER FOLLOW UP TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE DOING THAT. OKAY, ONE MORE QUESTION, PLEASE. ONE MORE SITUATION THEN. AND I'M PERSONALLY INVESTED IN THIS SITUATION SO I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. OKAY, GUYS GOT MULTIPLE CARS, MULTIPLE RVS. WE'VE CALLED MULTIPLE TIMES. THEY KNOW THE VEHICLES ARE THERE. THEY KNOW THE RVS ARE THERE. THESE ARE FOREIGN ACTORS, YET THEY'RE STILL THERE. WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE MULTIPLE VEHICLES IN A LOT THAT ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, DO THEY GET SEVEN DAYS, 14 DAYS? DO YOU GO IN AND REMOVE THEM IF THEY HAVEN'T BEEN REMOVED IN 7 OR 14 DAYS, WHY ARE THEY STILL ALLOWED TO BE THERE? WELL, THEY SHOULDN'T ALLOW TO BE THERE. THEY SHOULD NOT. AND AGAIN, I, I GOTTA FIND OUT WHY. I MEAN, IF THEY IF THEY'RE THERE AND THEY ARE ILLEGALLY PARKED VEHICLES OR VEHICLES NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, OUR OFFICERS SHOULD CITED, YOU KNOW, AND GET THOSE VEHICLES TOWED AND MOVED. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO TOW A VEHICLE AFTER THEY'VE BEEN CITED? WHAT DO YOU HOW LONG DO THEY GET? AVERAGE TIME. YOU KNOW, ABOUT 15 DAYS. BECAUSE WE GOTTA WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TOW. THIS IS MONTHS. YEAH, YEAH. WELL THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE. AND I REMEMBER WE HAD A WE HAD A MEETING WITH CODES ONE TIME BECAUSE WE HAVE A BIG SITUATION ON NATIONAL TURNPIKE OUTER LOOP WITH FOREIGN ACTORS AND JUNKYARDS. AND THE THE OFFICER SAID, WELL, IT'S JUST OUT OF CONTROL. AND I SAID, WELL, AREN'T WE THE CONTROLLERS? AREN'T YOU THE CONTROLLERS IS THAT WAS ONE OF OUR OFFICERS SAID, YEAH, YEAH. OKAY. AND AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL. AND THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE WHEN WE'RE THE CONTROLLERS. YES WE ARE, YES WE ARE. AND SO WHAT AREA ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WITH THESE RVS AND CAUSE YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC ADDRESS. OKAY. WHAT'S THIS? I'LL HAVE MY GET OFFLINE. PLEASE DO PLEASE DO SEND THEM TO ME AND. YEAH, BUT THAT'S NOT JUST THEM. I MEAN, WE HAVE IT ALL OVER THIS. IT'S HAPPENED ALL OVER THE SOUTH END. LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE. THESE POP UP JUNKYARDS. WE'RE HAVING TO ADDRESS THEM. AND THESE PEOPLE ARE KNOW THEY CAN GET BY WITH, WITH HOWEVER MANY DAYS. OR IT MIGHT NOT EVEN BE NOBODY COME BACK FOR MONTHS. YEAH. AND THAT IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH. OKAY. WELL AND SO WE'LL GET YOU THAT THAT THERE. BUT I MEAN THAT IS AN ISSUE WHEN IT COMES TO FOLLOW UP. AND, AND YOU KNOW, IF YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING, DO IT. THESE PEOPLE KNOW THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. ABSOLUTELY. AND I'M I'M NOT TRYING TO BASH ANYBODY FROM WHEREVER THEY COME FROM. BUT WE HAVE WE HAVE ORDER AROUND HERE AND, AND THESE GUYS ARE PUTTING POP UP JUNKYARDS ALL OVER THE SOUTH END, ESPECIALLY ON NATIONAL TURNPIKE. OKAY. AND WE'VE BEEN IT'S BEEN HARD TRYING TO GET THAT AREA CLEANED UP FROM THESE BAD ACTORS. AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONES THAT CONTROL THAT STUFF AND WE'RE NOT DOING IT. OKAY. SO BUT THANK YOU FOR FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. WE'LL GET THEM OUT HERE TO TO TO TO BEAT ON YOU. BUT NO THOSE ARE ISSUES THAT WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH. I DON'T FEEL YOU. YOU'RE BEATING THEM. LOOK, WE WILL GET IT CLEANED UP. THANK YOU, MISTER CHAIR. YEAH. THANK [01:05:03] YOU, COUNCILMAN MARCUS. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. DIRECTOR BRYCE, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. ABSOLUTELY. GET US OFF THEME. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. COUNCILMAN SHANKLIN INDICATED I'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE WITH CODES AND WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM. WE HAD A COUPLE OF ISSUES THAT YOU ALL HAVE WORKED ON FOR US AND BEEN EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE AND FOLLOWED UP REPEATEDLY, WHICH WE GREATLY APPRECIATE. YOU KNOW, I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, YOUR TEAM IS SORT OF ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE ASPECTS OF METRO GOVERNMENT IN TERMS OF ADDRESSING ISSUES THAT ARE CONSTITUENCY. YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT PEOPLE WHILE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, HEAR ABOUT CRIME, RIGHT? I THINK MOST OF WHAT THEY EXPERIENCE FROM A NUISANCE PERSPECTIVE ARE GOING TO BE THE THINGS THAT FALL UNDER CODES AND REGS AND REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE ENFORCEMENT WORK THAT YOU ALL DO. THANK YOU BOTH FROM PUBLIC NUISANCE TO PROPERTY MAINTENANCE TO ZONING ENFORCEMENT AND ALL OF THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. MY QUESTION FOR YOU, AND I THINK THIS GOES A LITTLE BIT TO COUNCILMAN SHANKLIN'S QUESTION ABOUT THE COUCH THAT SHE REFERENCED IS, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR APPROACH IN TERMS OF BALANCING A COMPLAINT DRIVEN MODEL VERSUS A PROACTIVE MODEL? I KNOW, YOU KNOW, UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, THE ENTIRE FOCUS OF OF CODES WAS A COMPLAINT ONLY DRIVEN MODEL. AND I'M CURIOUS SORT OF HOW YOU APPROACH COMPLAINTS VERSUS PROACTIVELY LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO TO DRIVE IMPROVEMENT AND WHETHER THAT'S A PERCENTAGE SPLIT OF AN OFFICER'S TIME OR IF YOU COULD JUST SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. AND I WILL SAY AGAIN, AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, COMPLAINT DRIVEN CODE ENFORCEMENT DOES NOT WORK. IT'S OLD SCHOOL. IT DOESN'T WORK. IT'S HARD AND DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW UP ON WHAT WE NEED AND WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET MY TEAM TO DO. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, SO FAR WE'RE OFF TO A GOOD START. IS LOOKING AT THE DATA OKAY. WE GOT WE GOT COMPLAINTS COMING IN TO 311. WE HAVE WE HAVE ALL THIS DATA IN A CELLAR THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US. WE SEE WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE. SO WHAT WHAT MY STRATEGY IS, IS THAT WE WE GATHER THIS DATA, WE COME UP, WE DEVISE A PLAN, A STRATEGY TO ABATE IT BASED ON THE, THE, THE DATA THAT WE THAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT. BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK, WHEN I SEE THE DATA, THEN I SEE THE COMPLAINTS. IT'S, IT'S IT'S IT IT FITS. IT ABSOLUTELY FITS. SO AS IN IN MADAM CHAIRS AREA, YOU KNOW A LOT OF HER THE DATA SHOWS THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM, YOU KNOW, OTHER COUNTRIES MOVING HERE. THEY MAY NOT KNOW. OKAY. YES. WE SHOULD GO ABATE THOSE, THOSE VIOLATIONS. BUT THE BIGGER FOR ME IS WE GOT TO EDUCATE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW. YEAH. SHOULD THEY KNOW. YES. BUT THEY IN MOST CASES THEY DON'T. SO WE TRY TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT. THEN WE TRY TO DO SWEEPS. SO IF WE GOT A THE DATA SHOWING THAT THIS IS A CONSTANT RECURRING PROBLEM AND IT'S HARD HERE'S HERE'S WHERE IT GETS DIFFICULT. IT GETS DIFFICULT TO TAKE SINGLE ISSUES THAT ARE GLARING THAT AS COUNCILMAN STEINER JUST SAID ABOUT THE THE THIS ONE THING WITH THE 95 YEAR OLD GENTLEMAN, YOU KNOW, THAT DON'T HAPPEN EVERY DAY. YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS WILL STICK OUT AND MAKE US LOOK HORRIBLE. BUT I SEE THOSE INSTANCES LIKE THAT MORE OF, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THE NORM. YOU KNOW, WE WE DON'T WE JUST DON'T GET THOSE ALL THE TIME AND THOSE MAY GET DROPPED. BUT WE LOOK AT THE DATA FROM A HOLISTIC AND A BROADER STANDPOINT, AND WE TRY TO TARGET THAT IS WHAT WE TRY TO DO IT. YEAH. THANK YOU. ONE ISSUE THAT ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAS, HAS TALKED ABOUT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, FOR MANY YEARS, IS DEALING WITH ABANDONED CAR ISSUES THAT ARE JUST LEFT ON THE DOES THAT FALL UNDER YOUR JURISDICTION? AND WHAT ARE WE DOING? YOU KNOW, I KNOW I THINK WE RELY ON LMPD TO DO THOSE TOWS, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. BUT CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE WITH ABANDONED VEHICLES? I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE NOTICE MORE THAN ANYTHING. AND MY CONCERN IS THAT WE'VE BEEN UNABLE TO MATERIALLY SOLVE THAT PROBLEM, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST FOR AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN HERE. AND I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOUR EFFORTS ARE THERE AND HOW WE CAN GET THAT SOLVED ONCE AND FOR ALL. YEAH. OKAY. SO THANK YOU. IF YOU LOOK, I DIDN'T BRING THAT DATA WITH ME, BUT WE HAVE IMPROVED TREMENDOUSLY FROM BEFORE I CAME TO CLOSE TO WHERE WE ARE NOW WITH TOWING VEHICLES. WE ARE TOWING VEHICLES. NOW LET ME. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ORDINANCE, WE CODES AND REGULATIONS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR [01:10:06] VEHICLES INOPERABLE OR VEHICLES WITHOUT TAGS. THAT'S ON THE PROPERTY. METRO LMPD IS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE ON THE STREET IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. OKAY. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE AND WE KNOW IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM. IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM. BUT I THINK WE'RE DOING A GOOD WORK RIGHT NOW TO ABATE IT, BECAUSE WHAT CHIEF UMPHREY HAS, HAS DONE FOR US SO WE CAN HELP LMPD. AND HE GAVE WE SIGNED WE SIGNED A MEMORANDUM GIVING US THE AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE WHAT LMPD DOES WITH CARS ON STREETS, SO WE CAN ESSENTIALLY GET THEM DONE ON THE STREET AND ON THE PROPERTY, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A BIG HELP. AND I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS THING MAYBE SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR NOW, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A HUGE DIFFERENCE WITH ABANDONED VEHICLES. YEAH. THANK YOU. I AM VERY HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT THAT MEMORANDUM. MEMORANDUM. AND I THINK THAT WILL BE A HUGE HELP BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S ONE OF THE CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS WE HAVE WITH LMPD. UNDERSTANDABLY, THEY'VE GOT OTHER CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH. AND IF CODES CAN HELP ON THAT, I'M VERY HEARTENED TO HEAR THAT AND LOOK FORWARD, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS DOWN THE LINE OF HEARING THE SUCCESS THAT YOU'RE HAVING. THANK YOU. AND HERE'S THE AND HERE'S THE PROBLEM. AND I JUST I JUST CALL IT OUT BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY. I BELIEVE IN, YOU KNOW, OWNING WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. WHEN WE WHEN I, WHEN I LOOK AT ABANDONED VEHICLES OR VEHICLES THAT NEED TO BE TOWED ON PROPERTIES, SEE, I GET OUT AND I, I DON'T STAY SIT AT MY DESK. I RIDE AROUND THIS CITY AND I SEE HIM AND I SAY THE SAME QUESTION YOU SAY TO YOU JUST ASKED ME, WHY AREN'T WE TAKING CARE OF THIS? IF I SEE IT, MY OFFICERS GOT TO SEE IT. THE QUESTION IS WHY WE'RE NOT DOING IT. THAT'S THE PROBLEM FOR ME THAT I MUST AND I WILL SOLVE SO WE CAN GET THESE THINGS DONE. BECAUSE IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM. SOMEONE OUT IN DISTRICT 22 HAD A PROBLEM, AND THEY ACCIDENTALLY SENT THE EMAIL TO ME AND IT SAID, AND I STILL HAVE THE EMAIL. IT SAID, THE GUY THAT'S GETTING A COMPLAINT, HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO PAY $500 FOR SOMETHING THAT HE DID NOT DO. AND EVIDENTLY IT RAN. HE OWNED A HOUSE IN ANOTHER AREA AND SOMETHING HE DIDN'T DO. SO IN THE EMAIL HE SAYS, WELL, I WANT TO MEET MEET WITH YOU. HE WAS TALKING TO THE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND HE SAID, I KNOW HIM AND HE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT FOR ME BECAUSE I'M NOT PAYING THAT MONEY. AND SO I SENT THE EMAIL. I SAID, WELL, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT MEETING, I'M GOING TO BE THERE TO. AND I CALLED THE COUNCIL PERSON AND SAID, WHY IS IT YOU GOT TWO DISTRICTS THAT YOU WORKING BACK AND FORTH WITH TWO COUNCIL PEOPLE? BUT HE SAID, WELL, THE OTHER COUNCIL PERSON DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, BUT HE WANTS ME TO TAKE CARE OF IT FOR HIM. SO AND THEN I HAD ANOTHER PERSON THAT WAS PARKING IN THE FRONT DOOR. AND HE OWNS QUITE A FEW HOUSES. AND I KNOW YOU PROBABLY KNOW HIM, AND HE GOT CITED FOR HAVING ALL THESE CARS AND HE SAID, SAME THING. OH, I KNOW THE CODE ENFORCEMENT. HE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF IT. I AIN'T PAYING NOTHING. THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THAT FOR ME. SO I DON'T KNOW. I THINK A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE THAT OWN THESE HOUSES WHEN THEY GET FINED, THEY DONE GOT TOO FAMILIAR WITH THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND THEY ASKING THEM, SO IT'S NO DISCIPLINE, NO NOTHING. THEY JUST IF THEY DO SOMETHING, THEY GET CAUGHT OR I'LL GO GET HIM TO TAKE CARE OF IT FOR ME. AND I TALKED TO THE ONE GUY AND HE WELL, I TALKED TO BOTH OF THEM BECAUSE I'M BOLD ENOUGH TO CALL HIM AND SAY, HEY, I READ THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, AND THEY NEVER HAD THAT MEETING. IF THEY DID, THEY DIDN'T LET ME GET IN ON THE MEETING AT THAT $500. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. BUT, YOU KNOW, I COULD SHOW YOU THE EMAIL. AND IT DID HAPPEN. AND IT HAPPENED OUT IN THE EAST END AREA. AND SO BUT WELL, I JUST WANT MY BIGGEST THING IS NOW I'VE WORKED WITH MR. HENDERSON BEFORE WE WORKED. WE GET ALONG WELL. I WORK WITH CROWE, WE GET ALONG WELL. AND IT'S NOT THAT I LIKE BEATING UP, BUT MY DISTRICT IS GONE DOWN SO MUCH IN IT, AND I KNOW IT'S BECAUSE WE GOT ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES. THEY DON'T KNOW. BUT THE BAD PART IS, I COULD SIT HERE ALL DAY AND TELL YOU ABOUT A DIFFERENT ONE HOUSE DOWN THE STREET. IT DOESN'T HAVE NO WHEELS ON IT. BEEN [01:15:02] SITTING THERE FOREVER AND THEY RIDE RIGHT PAST IT AND THAT'S WHAT BOTHERS ME. COME ON, I HAVE TO DO MY JOB. IF I DON'T, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO PUT ME BACK IN OFFICE. THEY VOTE AGAINST ME, YOU KNOW? SO I JUST WANT TO IF YOU WOULD JUST GET THEM. IF THEY SAY, SEE THESE VIOLATIONS, JUST THAT WOULD HELP A LOT. YES, ABSOLUTELY. AND LET ME GO BACK TO WHAT YOU WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH THIS MEETING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AND THE CODE ENFORCEMENT TAKING CARE OF IT. IF THEY HAVE A MEETING, PLEASE GET ME INVITED BECAUSE I WANT TO BE THERE TOO. THEY DIDN'T INVITE BECAUSE LISTEN, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHO WE ARE, RIGHT? AND IF WE GOT OFFICERS GOING ROGUE TO THAT DEGREE, THEN I. I NEED TO FIND OUT ABOUT IT, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WE DON'T MAKE DEALS WITH NOBODY. WE ENFORCE THE ORDINANCE. OKAY. DO WE HELP PEOPLE? YES. WE TRY TO HELP EVERYONE TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S A COUNCIL PERSON THAT OWNS PROPERTY OR WHOEVER. FROM WHERE I SIT, WE ENFORCE THE LAW, RIGHT? BUT WE ARE HERE TO BE A PARTNER WITH WITH INDIVIDUALS. BUT THAT'S NOT WHO WE ARE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO THOSE OFFICERS ARE SO WE CAN DEAL WITH THAT. BUT I GUESS I GOT A LOT MORE WORK TO DO INTERNALLY TO DEAL WITH THINGS LIKE THAT. WELL, I DON'T WANT TO GET ANYBODY IN TROUBLE, BUT I DO HAVE THE EMAIL. I SAVED IT. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY TO YOU, EVEN IF YOU JUST TALK TO THE GUYS ABOUT THAT, I WILL. BECAUSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENING. OH, THEY'LL TAKE CARE OF IT. I'VE KNOWN HIM A LONG TIME, BUT SEE, I'VE HAD THIS ONE GUY IN MY DISTRICT. HE OWNS A WHOLE BUNCH OF THE HOUSES. HE'S A SLUMLORD, AND HE KNOWS HOW TO GET OUT OF IT. SO I JUST APPRECIATE THAT HELP. ABSOLUTELY. ANYWAY, AND I JUST WANT TO SAY ONE MORE THING, AND I'M FINISHED. EVERYBODY ELSE HAD THEIR COMMENT. THEIR COMMENTS WAS CLEAR. BOYDEN I STARTED THAT SOME YEARS BACK. OKAY. I HAD MY AIDE, HE WENT OUT OF TOWN AND THEY WERE DOING IT IN ANOTHER CITY. AND I GOT WITH LAURA. THEY GAVE ME $350,000 TO TRY IT OUT IN THE WEST END. AND BECAUSE, SEE, I WORKED, LAURA AND I WORKED TOGETHER WITH HOUSING, AND WE TRIED IT OUT. AND THE FIRST HOUSE THAT WE DID WAS ON 26TH AND MARKET, SITTING ON THE CORNER, WENT DOWN THERE AND IT WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER. BUT SO I KNOW ABOUT CLEAR BOARDING BECAUSE MY AGE, HE'S NO LONGER WITH ME. HE WAS THE ONE THAT BROUGHT THAT HERE. YEAH. AND FINALLY WAS ABLE TO TALK TO THE MAYOR AND LAURA ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TRYING IT OUT. AND IT WORKED. AND THEY STILL DOING IT. BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. DIDN'T KNOW THAT. THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION. ASK LAURA BECAUSE I WORKED WITH LAURA UP THERE. BUT THE THING IS, THE CLEAR BOARD MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU DON'T SEE THAT WOULD ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY CAN TAKE THAT WOOD OFF. WE WENT DOWN THERE AND WE HAD HAMMERS AND THINGS AND THEY HAD WORK, YOU KNOW, AND AND WE BEAT ON IT WITH HAMMERS AND EVERYTHING AND COULD NOT BREAK INTO THE EMPTY HOUSE THAT WAS SITTING THERE. AND I NOTICED I WENT DOWN TO THE WEST END AND THEY SOLD THAT HOUSE. NOW SOMEBODY IS ACTUALLY LIVING IN IT, BUT IT WAS A MESS BACK, BACK IN THAT DAY. AND THEY WERE STILL IN THE COPPER AND ALL THAT OUT OF IT. SO. ABSOLUTELY. WELL THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION. THANK YOU. AND CLARE BALDING DOES WORK FOR SURE. AND THAT'S WHY WE TRUDGING FORWARD TO DO THAT FOR SURE. SO THANK YOU. WHO'S IN A FEW OKAY. OH COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS. I THINK THAT YOU ARE DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB. YOU AND YOUR TEAM. AND I WANT TO SAY THIS JUST FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY, A SET OF LIPS TO SAY ANYTHING. I'VE HAD PEOPLE TO SAY, WELL, OH, YEAH, COVID IS GONE. YOU KNOW, I AIN'T WORRIED ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, THEY JUST SAY IT JUST JUST TO BE SAYING IT A LOT OF TIMES AS WHAT I HAVE FOUND, I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT CODES DON'T GET NO PICKS. THAT ALL. YOU KNOW MY COLLEAGUE SHAMIKA PRESS RIGHT HAS SAID IT. YOU KNOW I'VE SAID IT. YOU KNOW AS COUNCIL MEMBERS LIKE YOU KNOW I'LL BE FEELING LIKE SOMETIMES WE BE GETTING TARGETED. Y'ALL DON'T EVEN GIVE US NO PASS. SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE THE PASSES IS GETTING PASSED THAT PASSED ME THE BALL. IF THE YOU KNOW, IF IT'S PASSES BEING GIVEN OUT. BUT YEAH. SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I DO AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID THAT AS FAR AS GETTING HELP, IF SOMEBODY NEEDS SOME HELP, YOU ALL DO THAT. BUT AS FAR AS YOU KNOW YOU GUYS COME BACK. YOU GUYS FOLLOW UP. YOU KNOW FOR ME IT'S WHAT DO AS A PROPERTY OWNER, WHAT DO YOU DO [01:20:04] AS A PROPERTY OWNER WHEN CODES CONTINUOUSLY COMES TO SIGHT THE PROPERTY? TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. ONE, YOU HAVE A LOT OF DEVELOPERS WHEN THEY WANT THE PROPERTY, THEY CONTACT CODE MULTIPLE TIMES JUST TO TRY TO GET CODES TO GO OUT TO SITE. AND AND LIKE I KNOW, RICHARD, YOU CAN'T KEEP YOUR EYES EVERYWHERE, BUT THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON. AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THAT. THE CODES ISN'T A I FORGOT THE WORD THAT YOU USED WHEN I CALLED YOU ABOUT THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, WHEN I CALLED, THEY WAS LIKE, WELL, SOMEBODY CALLED COMPLAINT DRIVEN. YEAH, THAT'S THE WORD THAT I BELIEVE THAT YOU USE. I KNOW THAT YOU SAID THAT IT WASN'T COMPLAINT DRIVEN, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU CAN REALLY IDENTIFY WHETHER IT IS COMPLAINT DRIVEN OR NOT. I THINK A LOT OF THESE CALLS FOR A LOT OF THE AREAS THAT I, YOU KNOW, COVER IS COMPLAINT DRIVEN FROM A LOT OF DEVELOPERS THAT WANT A LOT OF THESE PROPERTIES TO GET FIND, TO GET SIGHTED. SO, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, ONCE THEY HOME, WE, WE KNOW IF A HOME, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT HOUSES TO BE THERE THAT NEED TO BE TORN DOWN OR THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT GUTTERS IS FALLING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU DIFFERENTIATE, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S COMPLAINT DRIVEN OR IT'S NOT. I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY THAT, BECAUSE I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT DEVELOPERS DO CALL AND TRY TO GET FINES ON PROPERTIES. THAT'S ONE. AND THEN THE SQUATTERS, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GOT A NEW LAW COMING IN TO WHERE THEY CAN COME IN AND GET SQUATTERS OUT AT A FEE OF $20 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU GET THESE CLEAR BOARDING, YOU GET BORED. WHATEVER. PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, PROPERTY OWNERS GET TO PROTECT THEIR PROPERTIES IN THE EVENT OF, YOU KNOW, GETTING WORK DONE. YOU HAVE SQUATTERS THAT COME IN. YOU HAVE PEOPLE, CHILDREN THAT COME IN, THEY'VE BEEN STASHING GUNS. YOU KNOW, RICHARD, I'VE WORKED WITH CODES ABOUT THAT HOUSE CLEAR BOARDED UP. THEY GOT IN, STASH THEIR GUNS, RUN FROM THE POLICE, THE YOUTH. THEY'LL BE IN THESE HOMES, YOU KNOW, PROPERTY OWNER FINDS OUT, GOES OVER THERE. YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU DO HAVE PROPERTY CODES? ARE DOING THEIR JOB COMING IN, CITING THE PROPERTY, BUT YOU STILL HAVE THE YOUTH THAT GOES IN THERE AND YOU STILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, SQUATTERS THAT GO IN THERE. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU DO TO PROTECT THEM? YOU KNOW, EVEN IF THEY'RE GOING OUT THERE KEEPING UP WITH THEIR PROPERTIES OR IF THEIR WORKERS IS COMING OUT LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE JUST CAME BACK HERE, YOU KNOW, AND YOUR PROPERTY'S BEEN VANDALIZED. WELL, IT PUTS THEM BEHIND. RIGHT? AND ALL OF THIS CAN'T GO HAND IN HAND WITH WHAT THE MAYOR'S INITIATIVE IS WITH NEEDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, RIGHT. BECAUSE AS SOON AS YOU GET THESE PROPERTIES STARTED GOING, YOU GOT BETWEEN THE SQUATTERS, THE YOUTH AND CODES THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU FEEL LIKE I'M BEING HIT IN ALL DIFFERENT WAYS, YOU KNOW. SO WHAT DO WE ALSO DO FOR THE FOR THE PROPERTY OWNERS AS WELL? WELL, ONE THING THAT WE, I THINK WE NEED TO DO AND WE HAVE IS TO WE GOTTA SEE THIS THING WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER AND CODES AND REGULATIONS AS A PARTNERSHIP. OKAY. AND IF WE CAN SIT DOWN AND TALK, IF YOU GOT A, IF YOU OWN A PROPERTY OR YOU'RE A DEVELOPER AND YOU OWN A PROPERTIES AND YOU'VE DONE EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO TO ABATE CODE VIOLATIONS AND YOU GOT SQUATTERS, YOU GOT OTHER PEOPLE, THEN WE JUST GOT TO SIT DOWN AS A PLAN AND COME UP WITH A PLAN TO, TO HELP WITH THAT. WE DON'T WANT TO CITE ANYONE. WE JUST WANT COMPLIANCE. AND SOMETIMES WE HAVE MORE TIMES THAN NOT, WE GOT OWNERS THAT WANTS TO US TO DO ALL THE WORK, INSTEAD OF THEM PARTNERING WITH US TO HELP THEM GET THE WORK DONE. YOU KNOW, SOMETIME WE GOT TO DO MORE. WE NEED THE WHOLE HOUSE CLEAR BOARDED. SOMETIME WE NEED TO PUT UP CAMERAS. SOMETIME WE AND ALL OF THIS JUST CANNOT BE ON METRO GOVERNMENT TO DO. WE NEED PROPERTY OWNERS TO STEP UP AND WORK WITH US. SO I THINK IF WE WOULD ENGAGE MORE, I THINK WE CAN RESOLVE SOME OF THE PROBLEMS FOR THE PROPERTY OWNERS AND WE CAN HELP THEM KEEP THOSE THINGS OUT OF THEIR PROPERTIES. AND THEN IT'S A MULTI DEPARTMENTAL ISSUE, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST NOT CODES. WE NEED HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO TO HELP US WITH THE ICAP PROGRAM, TO HELP HOMEOWNERS AND PROPERTY OWNERS TO GET THEIR PROPERTIES FIXED. [01:25:05] IT'S IT'S THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO TO TO DO THEIR JOB. IT'S PUBLIC WORKS TO WORK OUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE COUNCILMAN TALK ABOUT THE TREE ISSUE. THAT MAY HAVE BEEN MORE OF A A PUBLIC WORKS ISSUE THAT WE COULD HAVE. SO WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND NOT JUST IT'S JUST NOT COLES GETTING THIS DONE FROM BROADER SENSE. IT'S MULTI-DEPARTMENTAL. AND IT'S ALSO PARTNERED WITH CITIZENS AND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION TO GET THESE THINGS DONE. I WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I LISTEN TO COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS, BUT OUR DISTRICTS ARE DIFFERENT. HER DISTRICT IS ONE WAY. MINE IS ANOTHER WAY. MY AREA IS THEY'RE DUMPING A LOT OF IMMIGRANTS AND THINGS IN THE CATHOLIC CHARITIES, AND THEY DON'T KNOW. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT THEY THEY REFUSE TO GO BACK AND DO IT. AND SO AND THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ABOUT DATA DRIVEN. SO IN YOUR, IN YOUR DISTRICT, YOU, YOU, YOU JUST STATED WHAT. AND THE DATA WILL SHOW THAT YOUR DISTRICT COUNCILMAN, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THESE AUTO SHOPS, ILLEGAL AUTO SHOPS AND AND AND AND ABANDONED VEHICLES AND, AND AND AND ALL OF THAT. WE GOTTA LOOK AT THAT DATA AND WE GOT TO APPROACH IT FROM THAT STANDPOINT. I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD TURN AWAY FROM THE GENERAL DAY TO DAY GUTTERS AND, AND A PAPER AND STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT WE GOTTA LOOK AT THE DATA AND SEE WHAT THE ISSUE IS WITHIN THAT DISTRICT, AND THEN ATTACK IT FROM THAT STANDPOINT AND NOT JUST BE WAIT FOR THE COMPLAINT TO COME THROUGH. BECAUSE IF YOU IF YOU IF YOU TAKE THE POSITION THAT, YOU KNOW, I SENT IN 32 OF THESE AND NOTHING'S BEEN DONE AND, AND I DON'T KNOW, I WOULD HAVE TO GO LOOK AT THEM, I WOULD FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE NOT DONE SOME TYPE OF VISIT OUT THERE. NOW, THAT IS A PROBLEM WITH OFFICERS MAYBE SITTING THERE OR PASSING UP AND NOT DOING IT, BUT WHEN, WHEN, WHEN OFFICERS ARE ARE COMPLAINT DRIVEN, WHEN THEY'RE COMPLAINT DRIVEN, THEY'RE GOING TO GO STRAIGHT TO THAT COMPLAINT AND THEY MAY PASS UP THESE VIOLATIONS THAT THEY MAY NOT BE LOOKING FOR. I'M NOT SAYING THEY SHOULD. BUT AGAIN, THAT'S WHY WE GOTTA GET INTO DATA DRIVEN, PROACTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT IS WHAT'S GOING TO RESOLVE A LOT OF THESE ISSUES ONCE WE GET THAT TRAINED, TRULY STEAMED UP AND MOVING DOWN THE TRACKS IN IN THE THE REASON WHY I BROUGHT IT UP, BECAUSE THESE THINGS ARE SO I MEAN, THEY'RE YOU CAN'T MISS THEM. YEAH. AND AS FAR AS SOMEBODY GUTTERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I WOULD NEVER TURN SOMEBODY IN FOR ANY OF THOSE THINGS. THE ONLY THING I'LL TURN THEM IN FOR, IF THE GRASS IS UP TO YOUR HIPS. YES. AND THERE'S CARS THAT'S SITTING THERE THAT'S BEEN ON BLOCKS FOR MONTHS. YEAH. AND THEY ON MY STREET. YOU CAN GO RIGHT THROUGH NOW I SEE THESE GUYS EVERY TIME THEY OUT THERE BECAUSE THEY COME THROUGH THERE AND THEY COME THROUGH AND AND I CAN'T SAY THAT OUT OF THOSE 32 THAT I TURNED IN THAT THEY DIDN'T COME BECAUSE THE NEXT DAY I SAW FOUR CARS RIDING THROUGH THERE. SO I KNEW THEY CAME OUT AND THEY GOT A BUNCH OF THEM. YEAH. BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF THEM THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO RIDE AROUND BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THEM. THAT'S CORRECT. I MEAN, THEY IT'S YOU JUST HAVE TO RIDE OUT THERE ONE DAY. YEAH. AND YOU'LL SEE FOR YOURSELF. THEY GOT STARTING AT BUSINESSES IN THE BACKYARD. I CALL THEM MY WORK SO MUCH. HE KNOWS BECAUSE THEY PUT THOSE FENCES THIS REAL HIGH AND THEY GOT THEY SELL CARS BEHIND THEM. I JUST WENT TO COURT LAST MONDAY WITH THIS, BUT THE LADY HAD ALREADY PUT THIS HUGE FENCE AROUND THIS HOUSE, AND THEY WERE GOING TO START A BUSINESS. BUT COACH CITED THEM BECAUSE THE FENCE WAS TOO HIGH. SO SHE WENT TO COURT TO GET A BE ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND GET IT IN THERE. AND SO AND IT WAS LOUD BLUE. THEY HAVE A TENDENCY TO PAINT THEM BLUE OR RED OR WHATEVER. AND SO WE LOST BECAUSE THE FENCE WAS ALREADY UP AND WE COULDN'T MAKE HER TAKE IT DOWN. BUT I DID TELL HER, I SAID THAT BIG BLUE ROYAL BLUE FENCE, IT'S METAL AND IT'S REAL HIGH. AND I TOLD HER, I SAID, THAT DESTROYS THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT REALLY LOOKS BAD. SO SHE WAS HISPANIC AND SHE COULDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH. SHE SAID, WOULD YOU BE OKAY IF I PAINTED IT WHITE? I SAID, NO PROBLEM. YOU PAINT IT WHITE, WE'LL BE OKAY WITH THE FENCE BECAUSE YOU WON'T STAND OUT LIKE THAT. I CAME DOWN THE STREET THE OTHER DAY AND SHE'S PAINTED THAT FENCE WHITE, AND SHE GOT ONE MORE SMALL PIECE BECAUSE WE COULDN'T TALK TO EACH OTHER BECAUSE WE DON'T [01:30:04] SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE. YEAH, BUT WE JUST TRYING TO CLEAN UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT'S ALL I WANT. IF WE CAN GET RID OF SOME OF THAT. SELLING CARS IN THE FRONT YARD. AND LIKE I SAID, THAT'S MY QUESTION. AND I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH HIM, BUT THEY'VE BEEN BRINGING CARS IN, SELLING THEM IN THE YARD AND ALL THAT. IT'S NOT FAIR TO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE TO PAY FOR THEIR HOUSES AND BEEN THERE 50 YEARS OR MORE, THAT WE ALLOW PEOPLE TO COME IN AND DESTROY IT. SO THAT'S WHY I SAY, IF YOU SEE IT, PLEASE SAY SOMETHING. YEAH, YEAH. WE NEED PEOPLE TO SAY SOMETHING. BUT AGAIN, I, I HEAR EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO BETTER. WOW. I'M GOING TO GET RIGHT ON IT AND WE'LL SEE. I'M SURE WE CAN. WE'RE GOING TO DO BETTER WITH THIS FOR SURE. I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE I DO HAVE CALEB. HE HE'LL SEND SOMETHING IN EVERY TIME. YOU KNOW, WE'LL SOMEBODY CALLS US, WE'LL SEND IT IN. AND NORMALLY I GET THAT DAMON SMILEY SENT SOMETHING BACK AND SAY I TOOK CARE OF IT OR WHATEVER. YEAH, BUT THE OTHER DAY, WITH THAT COUCH, THAT WAS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. YEAH. SIT OUT THERE. SO. BUT WE ARE WE ARE ADJOURNED. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU. CAN I SAY THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME? AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL I NEEDED THIS I NEED TO HEAR THIS AND WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS, OKAY? OKAY. I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THIS ADDRESS THAT WE'VE SENT. IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR RECORDS, YOU'RE GOING TO FIND THAT THEY'VE BEEN THERE A THOUSAND TIMES. AND HE'S THE COUCH MAN. AND PLUS HE GOT SO MUCH IN HIS BACKYARD, I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE'S GETTING ALL THIS STUFF. HE'S SELLING IT, BUT. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.