A new Syracuse code enforcement program launched by Mayor Stephanie Miner in the final days of her administration aims to improve the city’s relationship with landlords and tenants.

Miner earlier this month introduced the Tenant-Owner-Proactive program to establish a new “block-level” approach to code enforcement.

Miner’s program is, at present, being tested in neighborhoods on the city’s North Side. The pilot program will end in mid-December. The program will allow code enforcement officers to better respond to residents’ housing problems, according to a press release.

Syracuse has code enforcement officers who address violation cases citywide, per the press release. Those officers address cases in the order the department receives them, individually, according to the release. But with the new pilot program, officials will be assigned to work in specific areas on the North Side to address health and safety violations such as heat and water shutoffs, Miner said in the statement.

“This innovative new program will continue our commitment to addressing the quality of life issues that have been this administration’s priority since day one,” Miner said in a statement. “Using new strategies, data and technology, we can enhance relationships between code inspectors and the community and work with tenants and property owners to develop solutions to neighborhood concerns.”

The mayor’s Office of Innovation developed the program with the help of Syracuse’s division of code enforcement and department of neighborhood and business development, according to the press release. Two inspectors will be assigned to work on the North Side, specifically, per the release.
By Dec. 13, the program’s work will be analyzed by the city. A total number and percentage of violations in the area will be calculated, per the press release. The number of violations prevented by the program will also be recorded.

“Right as we’re about to lower the boom, they change (their name) from 123 LLC to ABC LLC,” Miner recently said, according to WAER. “There’s a lot of cat and mouse we do with our legal department. The more we can focus our legal department on the truly bad actors, as opposed to the people who don’t understand how to meet their responsibilities, we think that’s a more efficient way to provide services.”

Miner said she hopes to give more Syracuse families safe and healthy housing opportunities, according to Syracuse.com.

The Tenant-Owner-Proactive program is the first of its kind, Miner said. In a press conference, officials said the next mayor can decide whether to implement the program citywide. That was before Nov. 7, when former city official and independent candidate Ben Walsh won the general election.

“Can we work with property owners or people who live in those properties to eradicate those problems right away, instead of waiting six to eight months, to a year to two years, to have a judge say it to a landlord who has to take time to implement that,” said Miner, according to WAER.

Published on November 15, 2017 at 12:11 am

Contact Eshalaxmi: erbarlin@syr.edu